Courtesy Georgia Athletics
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Swimmer at the University of Georgia Callie Dickinsona six-time All-American and three-time All-SEC artist, was named the 2022-23 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Women’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year by Commissioner Greg Sankey Tuesday.
Dickinson and LSU cross country runners Jackson Martingayle were selected by a committee of athletics faculty representatives from all 14 SEC institutions to receive a $20,000 postgraduate scholarship.
“Callie and Jackson are representative of the focus, determination and success of SEC student-athletes in competition and in the classroom,” said Sankey. “These young people are committed to the holistic student-athlete experience and this is reflected in their elite academic and athletic achievements. The H. Boyd McWhorter Award is the highest honor bestowed on a student-athlete in the SEC, and I, along with their families and universities, congratulate them on their outstanding achievements.”
“I am honored to receive this prestigious award from the SEC,” said Dickinson. “I would like to thank the athletics faculty for this honor and the academic staff of the University of Georgia for their nomination. I’m grateful for the support of my teammates, The Georgia Way, and my coaching staff, especially my head coaches Stefanie Williams Moreno and Jack Bauerle. I will forever be grateful to the University of Georgia and the many opportunities it has given me.”
A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, he is currently pursuing a master’s degree in comparative biomedical sciences and is achieving a GPA of 4.0 in the fall semester while graduating in the summer. Last May, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Human Development & Family Science, receiving summa cum laude with a grade point average of 3.92. She intends to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon while also training for the upcoming World Championships and Summer Olympics.
“Our program is thrilled to have Callie and this tremendous honor,” said Tom Cousins swimming and diving head coach Stefanie Williams Moreno. “For five seasons, Callie has truly exemplified what it means to be a bulldog by serving as a team leader in and out of the water. Her dedication to excellence in athletics and science has set a strong standard for all members of our program and I can think of no better student-athlete to continue our unparalleled tradition of H. Boyd McWhorter Award winners.”
Dickinson is the eighth member of the Georgia Women’s Swim and Diving program to receive this honor, the highest of any SEC athletic program. Previous honorees have included Virginia Diederich (1986), Linda Leith (1988), Deanne Burnett (1989), Kim Black (2001), Wendy Trott (2012), Shannon Vreeland (2014) and Maddie Locus (2015), while Andy DeVooght was the men’s swimmer awarded in 1997. Additionally, Dickinson marks the 11th Georgia student-athlete to be honored and ties Alabama for most institutions.
“Callie represents the very best of what it means to be a student-athlete,” said Josh Brooks, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics. “The H. Boyd McWhorter Award is the SEC’s highest honor. Callie is an outstanding representative of our swim and dive program and now joins a long line of Georgia students and athletes who have earned this award. She deserves it very much and we congratulate her on this remarkable achievement.”
Dickinson accumulated a wealth of athletic and academic honors during her five seasons at Athens. In the water, Dickinson qualified for the NCAA championships in all five seasons and received six CSCAA All-America honors, including a 2022 first-team honor in the 800-yard freestyle relay and an individual honor this season in the 200-yard Yard Butterfly Squadron. She won four medals at the SEC Championships, including a silver medal this season in the 200-meter butterfly. She finished her career with top 10 times in program history in four disciplines: 200-yard medley relay, 200-yard backstroke, 200-yard butterfly, and 100-yard butterfly. In international competition, she has competed in two US Olympic Trials and reached two finals at last year’s Phillips 66 National Championships.
Dickinson was named to the College Sports Communicators/CoSIDA Academic All-District Team in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, she was named to the CSCAA Scholar All-America Team in each of her first four seasons and to the SEC Academic Honor Roll in all five seasons, along with being named to the 2021 SEC Community Service Team. She is a member of the J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Honor Roll each semester and has received three times Presidential Scholar Honors (4.0 GPA with 14+ credit hours). She is President of the UGA Chapter of the Blue Key Honor Society, a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, a team representative on the UGA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and a member of the UGA Leadership Education and Development (LEAD). Academy.
During her academic career, Dickinson was honored with the 2021 Michael E. Penland Family Research Award, presented annually to outstanding students in the Kinesiology Department who are involved in research, service and public relations. She also received the Spring 2022 CURO Research Assistantship and the Tucker Dorsey Memorial Scholarship Award for Outstanding Student Leaders at the University. In fall 2021, she was appointed lead investigator on a mitochondrial capacity study, with the project selected for presentation at two academic conferences.
“Callie Dickinson is an excellent choice for the SEC’s prestigious H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar Athlete of the Year, as evidenced by her win on the first ballot,” said David Shipley, UGA Faculty Athletics Representative and professor in the University of Georgia School of Law . “Much like our three previous winners on the women’s swim and dive teams during my tenure as FAR, Callie is a superstar—multiple All-American with near-perfect grades as an undergraduate and now in grad school. She has serious research in her major and leadership skills on campus such as Blue Key and Palladia. Callie has clear plans for trade school and enthusiastic support from her coach and several professors who worked with her in her classes and oversaw her research as a student. I am very happy for Callie and it is clear that she is very deserving of this tremendous honor.”
H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient from the University of Georgia
1986 – Virginia Diederich (women’s swimming and diving)
1988 – Linda Leith (women’s swimming and diving)
1989 – Deanne Burnett (women’s swimming and diving)
1991 – Al Parker (men’s tennis)
1997 – Andy DeVooght (men’s swimming and diving)
2000 – Joey Pitts (men’s tennis)
2001 – Kim Black (women’s swimming and diving)
2012 – Wendy Trott (women’s swimming and diving)
2014 – Shannon Vreeland (women’s swimming and diving)
2015 – Maddie Locus (women’s swimming and diving)
2023 – Callie Dickinson (women’s swimming and diving)
