By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Ohio Valley Conference has selected University of Tennessee at Martin football student-athlete Takeem Young as one of six individuals to receive its prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award for 2021-22.
The award is the highest individual honor that can be earned by OVC student-athletes and is given annually to three men and three women student-athletes for their accomplishments in both the classroom and athletic arena, and because of their leadership qualities.
The six winners were selected from a group of 16 finalists by a vote of OVC Faculty Athletics Representatives. Honorees must have performed athletically with distinction, earned at least a 3.5 Grade Point Average and conducted themselves in a manner which has brought credit to the student-athlete, his or her institution, intercollegiate athletics and the OVC. The award is based on academic and athletic criteria/accomplishments achieved during the 2020-21 school year.
Young joins Riley Baker of Eastern Illinois (track and field), Megan Burton of Eastern Illinois (softball), Seth Carlisle of Tennessee Tech (football), Conley Chinn at Belmont (basketball), Amber Schifano of Morehead State (rifle) as 2021-22 Ohio Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete winners.
A native of Greeneville, Tenn., Young is currently competing in his fifth season with the Skyhawk football team where he plays strong safety and serves as a team captain. Throughout his career, Young has played in 36 games while earning 26 starts over the past three seasons in the secondary. Athletically, he has compiled 142 career tackles while defending 23 passes – including 18 pass breakups to rank ninth in program history – while tallying five interceptions. He has also added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to his career stat line.
In the classroom, Young has earned a 3.88 grade point average in exercise science and wellness with a minor in nutrition. Along with being a 2020-21 OVC Medal of Honor recipient – recognizing individuals with a perfect 4.0 GPA – he is a four-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll winner. He also has garnered multiple UT Martin Chancellor’s Honor Roll and Athletic Director’s Honor Roll selections.
Young is a member of Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society and has vast volunteer experience with Special Olympics and Shape Club. He also helped with voter registration on campus and collecting food items for Captain’s Pantry to help alleviate food insecurities for students at UT Martin.
Other nominees for the Scholar-Athlete Award were Gino Avros of Austin Peay (baseball), Isabelle Austin of Tennessee Tech (soccer), Shane Burns of Murray State (baseball), Paige Clark of UT Martin (softball), Evan Davis of Belmont (golf), Omardrick Douglas of Southeast Missouri (football), Abigail Jones of Murray State (soccer), Lexi Osowski of Austin Peay (softball), Gina Rivera-Ortiz of Tennessee State (volleyball) and Josh Trueheart of Tennessee State (football).
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information