By: Tyler Pounds, Athletics Communications
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas A&M track & field’s Jon Bishop has been named the 2020-21 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Tuesday.
Bishop became the third Aggie and second track & field athlete to earn the prestigious award. Swimming’s Sarah Gibson earned the award in 2017, while track and field’s Nathan Hite garnered the honor in 2019. The SEC first began presenting the award in 1986.
“It’s the highest honor that a student-athlete can receive in the SEC and we’re proud that Texas A&M continues a legacy of receiving this award,” Director of Athletics Ross Bjork said. “Our goal here is to have our student-athletes achieve their full potential in whatever avenue they decide to pursue. Jon, we are so proud that you have achieved your full potential and then some.”
Bishop was chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities and will receive a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship. Florida swimmer Savanna Faulconer was named the women’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“Savanna and Jon are outstanding representatives of student-athletes from across the SEC. They both achieved excellence in their competitive and academic pursuits, which represents the highest level of success through their experiences as student-athletes,” Sankey said. “The H. Boyd McWhorter Award is the highest honor earned by a student-athlete in the SEC and I congratulate both of them along with their families and universities on their outstanding achievements, especially during the unique circumstances presented by the last 14 months.”
The McWhorter Award adds to a long list of academic and athletic achievements for Bishop.
He has been a success story on the field of competition and in the classroom. The College Station, Texas, native was the 2020 SEC Indoor and Outdoor Scholar Athlete of the Year. He also earned USTFCCCA Academic All-America Second Team honors. In total, he has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll on six occasions.
In competition, Bishop was a NCAA Cross Country Championships qualifier in 2017. He is a two-time All-SEC finisher, once in the indoor 3000m and once in cross country. Bishop has four Texas A&M all-time top-12 marks to his name, including the fourth-best indoor 3000m time of 8:06.53.
Already a graduate with his bachelor’s in Applied Mathematical Sciences, Bishop is currently pursuing his master’s in computer science.