Magnuson named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Former Tennessee swimmer Christine Magnuson has been named winner of the H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award, the SEC announced Monday.

The award will be presented at the SEC spring meeting May 28 in Destin, Fla. Magnuson will receive a $15,000 post-graduate scholarship, as will Mississippi tennis player Bram ten Berge, the men’s award winner.

“The H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award is the highest honor a student-athlete can receive in the Southeastern Conference,” SEC commissioner Mike Slive said in making the announcement. “The commitment and dedication that Christine and Bram embody makes them excellent selections for the McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Award.”

Magnuson won two silver medals in the 2008 Olympics as well as an SEC and NCAA championship in the 100 butterfly. She was named SEC Female Swimmer of the Year and won the Commissioner’s Trophy after taking four titles at the SEC championships in 2008.

She also serves as a representative on UT’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. She has assisted in the SAAC Holiday Dinner for the Homeless, the SAAC Easter Egg Hunt at Maynard Elementary School, the SEC SAAC “Together We Can” canned food drive, and has been a team captain on UT Hospital visits. She also assisted at the YWCA, Relay for Life and Race for the Cure.

In the Honors Program, Magnuson has a 3.68 grade point average and is majoring in exercise science. She is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll.