AUBURN, Ala. – Swimming and diving's Bailey Nero and baseball's Blake Schilleci are Auburn's nominees for the 2020 H. Boyd McWhorter Award, while equestrian's Haley Pembroke and track and field's Ryan Lee are Auburn's Brad Davis Community Service Award representatives.
Since 1986, the McWhorter Post-Graduate Scholarship has been presented to the league's top male and female scholar-athletes.
Nero, who graduated with a degree in biochemistry from Auburn University's College of Science and Mathematics in December 2019, was a four-time All-American as a senior, finishing in the top five in the SEC in the 200 and 400-meter individual medleys.
A member of the SEC Community Service Team, Academic Honor Roll and Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, she intends to continue her education at the University of North Carolina's Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
Nero swam the fourth fastest times in Auburn history in the 200 IM and 400 IMs as a senior in 2019.
She conducted biochemistry research synthesizing peptides with Dr. Monika Raj in Auburn's COSAM, while also tutoring second graders at Dean Road Elementary School in Auburn.
A pitcher on Auburn's 2019 College World Series team, Schilleci graduates in May from Auburn University's Samuel Ginn College of Engineering with a degree in software engineering.
The Birmingham, Alabama, native is a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and 2019 SEC Community Service Team. He volunteered in the Miracle League and visited patients at Children's Hospital.
After participating in the College World Series, Schilleci interned with NASA at Kennedy Space Center, working with the Launch Control System, fueling his passion to work in space and national defense.
He accepted a position beginning this summer as a systems engineer with Boeing's Space, Defense and Security division. Schilleci also plans to pursue an MBA.
Each year, the SEC provides the league's male and female McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Scholarship recipients with a $20,000 post-graduate scholarship. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award will also receive a $10,000 post-graduate scholarship.
The award recipients are chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from the 14 SEC institutions.
Auburn swept the SEC's McWhorter Awards in 2011 when swimming and diving's Dan Mazzaferro and Erica Meissner won.
Pembroke, a senior on Auburn's 2020 SEC champion equestrian team, earned an NCAA Women's Enhancement Graduate Scholarship this spring.
The Bellevue, Washington, native will graduate from Auburn University in May with a degree in finance from the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business. She has been accepted to the University of Nebraska to earn her Master of Arts in Business with a specialization in Intercollegiate Athletics.
Pembroke is a three-time NCEA Academic Honor Roll honoree and has been a consistent member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll as well. She was Auburn's selection to the 2019 SEC Community Service Team, has been on multiple Dean's Lists and is a part of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society.
During her time at Auburn, Pembroke volunteered monthly at the Food Bank of East Alabama, helping sort donations, boxes of food, and performing other organizational tasks in the warehouse.
Pembroke also participated in International Reading Day, reading to local children in their classroom. She took part in the annual City of Auburn's Downtown Trick-or-Treat event, handing out candy and signing autographs for children. Haley has also spent time opening car doors at Dean Road Elementary School.
Lee, a senior distance runner from Brentwood, Tennessee, plans to pursue medical school after graduating in May in biomedical sciences from Auburn University's College of Science and Mathematics.
A member of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, Lee volunteered at High Hopes, serving kindergartners with and without special needs.
He also served as a CONNECT leader, helping freshman student-athletes successfully transition to Auburn.
The SEC Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship is named for former Associate Commissioner Brad Davis, who joined the SEC in 1988, serving later as assistant commissioner, then associate commissioner until his death from cancer in 2006.
A committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities will select the overall SEC leaders, who will each receive $10,000 post-graduate scholarships from the SEC.
The recipients for the Brad Davis SEC Community Service Award from the other Conference schools will receive a $5,000 scholarship, provided by the SEC.
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer