Beckham, Evans Finalists for Ashe Sports Scholar Award
Award honors undergraduate students of color who exemplify standards of Arthur Ashe, Jr.
FAIRFAX, Va. – Kentucky student-athletes Twany Beckham (men’s basketball) and Kastine Evans (women’s basketball) have been named finalists for the 2013 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award. The winners will be profiled in the April 11, 2013 edition of the Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine.
Beckham and Evans were chosen from more than 500 minority student-athletes nominated by their respective institutions. The NCAA is the co-sponsor of the annual award.
Beckham is a senior from Louisville, Ky., who owns a 3.421 grade point average in Communication. He has volunteered for several community service projects including UK Athletics God’s Pantry backpack program and the 2012 Hurricane Sandy Telethon which raised money for the victims of the natural disaster. He’s a two-time member of the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll.
On the court, Beckham earned a National Championship as a member of the 2012 Wildcats. He’s dealt with multiple injuries throughout his collegiate career and has played in more than 75 career games. His career-high point total was nine against Detroit while at Mississippi State.
Evans is a junior from Salem, Conn., with a grade point average of 3.735 in Business Management. She has embraced community service, serving as the women’s basketball Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative. Furthermore she created her own non-profit organization called “Shooting for Success,” which is an after-school program for disadvantaged youth that features Evans teaching basketball skills and leadership. Evans is a two-time member of the All-SEC Academic team.
On the court, Evans has seen action in more than 100 career games while starting 56. She has been a member of two Elite Eight squads and an SEC Championship team in 2012.
Black Issues In Higher Education magazine, now Diverse, established the Sports Scholars Awards to honor undergraduate students of color who exemplify the standards set by tennis great Arthur Ashe Jr.
A scholar and athlete, Ashe sought to expand opportunities for young people. Each year Diverse: Issues In Higher Education invites every postsecondary institution in the country to participate in this awards program by nominating their outstanding sports scholars. In addition to their athletic ability, students named Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars must exhibit academic excellence as well as community activism.
To be included, students have to compete in an intercollegiate sport; maintain a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.2; and are active on their campuses or in their communities. This year the NCAA partnered with Diverse to present this standout class of scholar athletes and over 500 male and female students from across the country were nominated.
Past recipients of the award include: Baylor University’s (2011) Robert Griffin III, Heisman Trophy winner; the University of Tennessee’s (2003) Kara Lawson, ESPN analyst who played for the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs; San Diego State University’s (1993) Marshall Faulk, NFL Hall of Famer; and the University of Kansas’ (1996) Jaque Vaughn, assistant coach for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
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