Watts Named Scholar Athlete of the Year
6/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Outdoor Track
FORT WORTH -- Senior Sam Watts was named the Big 12 Men's Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the spring season, the conference announced Thursday.
The Big 12 Conference established its Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award in 2012-13. A recipient is named in each of the Conference's sponsored sports. Each Big 12 institution nominates one individual per sport with the winners selected by a vote of the league's head coaches for that sport.
Watts, a native of London, England, has maintained a 3.21 GPA as a kinesiology major at TCU and qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 200 meters and 4x100-meter relay. The relay team recorded a final-qualifying time of 38.91 at the championships on Wednesday.
At the Big 12 Championships, Watts earned second-place finishes in both the 200 meters and 4x100 relay. He also added a sixth-place finish in the 100 meters with a personal best time of 10.27. Watts is currently a nine-time All-American and has earned Academic All-Big 12 First Team honors each of the past two years, along with USTFCCCA All-Academic Team recognition in 2015 and 2014.
Watts will conclude his collegiate career with the 4x100 relay at the NCAA Championship finals at 7:32 p.m. CT on Friday at the historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Scholar-Athlete of the Year nomination criteria includes:
• must be a junior or senior (athletic and academic standing)
• cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher
• participation in at least 60 percent of the team's scheduled contests
• minimum of one year in residence at the institution
