[su_spacer size=”20″] Georgia swimmer Maddie Locus has been chosen as the 2014-15 Southeastern Conference H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, according to an announcement Thursday by the league office. [su_spacer size=”40″] Arkansas track and field athlete Nathanael Franks was named the Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. [su_spacer size=”40″] The two were chosen by a committee of Faculty Athletics Representatives from SEC universities and both will receive a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship, provided by AT&T, an SEC Corporate Sponsor, and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The 26 remaining male and female finalists for the award — including Georgia swimmer Nicolas Fink — will receive a $7,500 post-graduate scholarship. [su_spacer size=”40″] “Nathanael and Maddie demonstrate the kind of commitment to excellence in the classroom and in competition that reflect the high standards of the Southeastern Conference,” Commissioner Mike Slive said. “They represent the very best that college athletics has to offer. They are tremendous representatives of the SEC and their characteristics and accomplishments make them ideal choices for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award.” [su_spacer size=”40″] “We could not be more proud of Maddie for winning this prestigious award,” Georgia head coach Jack Bauerle said. “Her coaches and teammates are as happy about this as Maddie is. She is a great team person and has been instrumental in our quest for championships. Her motivation to succeed in every aspect of her life is remarkable. We’re also proud that she is the next in a long line of Georgia swimmers recognized in this way.” [su_spacer size=”40″] Locus is the eighth Georgia swimmer to earn SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, joining Virginia Diederich (1986), Linda Leith (1988), Deanne Burnett (1989), Andy DeVooght (1997), Kim Black (2001), Wendy Trott (2012) and Shannon Vreeland (2014). Georgia tennis players Al Parker and Joey Pitts won the award in 1991 and 2000, respectively. [su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia leads the list with 10 honorees since the award began in 1986. Alabama is second with nine, followed by Tennessee, Mississippi State and Auburn with six; LSU with five; Ole Miss and South Carolina with four; Florida and Arkansas with three; and Vanderbilt and Kentucky with two [su_spacer size=”40″] Locus already has graduated summa cum laude with a double major in Mathematics and Italian. She earned the Outstanding Graduating Senior Italian Major/Minor Award, was named to the SEC and UGA academic honor rolls, and earned UGA’s Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholarship. Locus was invited to the UGA Number Theory Seminar to present research from the Emory Research Experience for Undergraduates. She also was chosen as a speaker for the Romance Languages Graduation Ceremony. [su_spacer size=”40″] Locus holds the third-fastest time in the 50 freestyle, eighth-fastest time in the 100 freestyle and ninth-fastest time in the 100 butterfly in school history and she led off the 200 freestyle relay that set the Georgia record. Locus capped her collegiate swimming career by earning All-America status in the 50 and 100 freestyle and on the 200 and 400 freestyle relays at the NCAAs. She also notched All-SEC recognition with top-5 efforts in those events at the conference meet as Georgia won its sixth straight league title. [su_spacer size=”40″] “I am humbled and truly honored to receive this recognition,” Locus said. “I am grateful to Georgia for the educational opportunity I’ve gotten. I have been fortunate to have such a strong support system of my family, coaches, teammates, classmates, professors, academic counselors and tutors, and friends. They have helped me evolve in my studies and in my swimming, and I’ve learned valuable lessons along the way that will benefit me the rest of my life. The University of Georgia cares for you on so many levels and these people have helped me grow so much. We’ve achieved great things in the pool, but I’m equally proud of what we’ve done academically. It means the world to me to accept this award on behalf of UGA and everyone associated with our swimming and diving program.”