Stan Bates Award Finalists Announced By The WAC
8/24/2023 1:30:00 PM | Baseball, Track & Field, General
ARLINGTON, Texas – Malaiya Jedkins and Tyler Rice have been selected as finalists for the Stan Bates Award, as announced by the Western Athletic Conference on Thursday.
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The annual award was named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates and is given to the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes. It recognizes athletic, academic and community accomplishments. The award includes a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship.
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A representative of the UT Arlington Track and Field team, Jedkins competed in the triple jump, long jump and was part of the 4x400 meter relay team across 13 meets on the season. She competed in the triple jump at the Outdoor NCAA West Preliminary Round where she had her best jump in a UTA uniform at 12.73 meters. Jedkins claimed the bronze medal in the triple jump at the Indoor and Outdoor WAC Championships.
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Off the track, Jedkins is very active within the community. She has volunteered over 30 hours at Mission Arlington where she helped administer free COVID-19 tests, served as a nursing assistant, tutored kids in their after-school program, mentored students in the STEM program and she participated in two fundraising walks for cancer and lupus. Other volunteer work includes:
In the classroom, Jedkins was named to the All-Academic UTA Student-Athlete Honor Roll, UTA's Scholar Student-Athlete, Texas Trust Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week, and Dean's List for the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs.  She is pursuing her master's degree in public administration with a concentration in healthcare. After she completes her master's degree, she will attend nursing school so she can continue to service her community and be an example for the younger generations.Â
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A member of the UTA baseball team, Tyler Rice has shown he is a leader on and off the field. Appearing in 45 games this past season, making 44 starts across the diamond, Rice was fifth on the team with a .282 batting average while carrying a .400 on-base percentage. The ultimate team player, Rice played four different positions, doing anything to help the team win. He was a catalyst that helped the team reach the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
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Off the diamond, Rice is very involved in the community. Since the fall of 2018, he has played a big part in the department's annual canned food drive which takes place in November in conjunction with Mission Arlington, the Salvation Army, and the UTA food pantry. Each year the drive has collected over 6,000 canned goods and food items, totaling over 30,000 canned goods and food items for families in the DFW area during his tenure as a student-athlete. During winter, he participated in a coat and clothes drive for needy families throughout the community, while also playing a role in getting his teammates involved in the drive. He has volunteered for the "Mav-Move-In" event, which he helps new Mavericks move into their dorms by carrying things to the students' rooms, sharing tips and tricks for maneuvering around the campus, and helping get them settled in for the new school year.
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Rice also volunteers at baseball camps to help younger players develop their skills for the game. He takes great joy in volunteering with the Miracle League, where he gets to work with special athletes and teach them the game he loves the most.
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In the classroom, Rice carries a 3.833 GPA and is working towards his Masters in exercise science. He was named to the to the 2022-23 Academic All-WAC team.
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The winners of the Stan Bates Award will be announced in early September.
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
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The annual award was named in honor of former WAC Commissioner Stan Bates and is given to the WAC's top male and female scholar-athletes. It recognizes athletic, academic and community accomplishments. The award includes a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Â
A representative of the UT Arlington Track and Field team, Jedkins competed in the triple jump, long jump and was part of the 4x400 meter relay team across 13 meets on the season. She competed in the triple jump at the Outdoor NCAA West Preliminary Round where she had her best jump in a UTA uniform at 12.73 meters. Jedkins claimed the bronze medal in the triple jump at the Indoor and Outdoor WAC Championships.
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Off the track, Jedkins is very active within the community. She has volunteered over 30 hours at Mission Arlington where she helped administer free COVID-19 tests, served as a nursing assistant, tutored kids in their after-school program, mentored students in the STEM program and she participated in two fundraising walks for cancer and lupus. Other volunteer work includes:
- Hosted two seminars for young women on sexual assault awareness and healthy lifestyle choices.
- Led our "Read Across America" event, where she went to numerous classrooms to read to kids.Â
- Was part of a group of student-athletes that sorted over 7,000 greeting cards for foster kids through an organization called "Cards for Cubs."Â
- During the fall semester, she played with kids at Swift Elementary School during the kids' recess.Â
- Helped lead a canned food drive that collected over 6,000 canned goods for families in the DFW area.
In the classroom, Jedkins was named to the All-Academic UTA Student-Athlete Honor Roll, UTA's Scholar Student-Athlete, Texas Trust Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week, and Dean's List for the College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs.  She is pursuing her master's degree in public administration with a concentration in healthcare. After she completes her master's degree, she will attend nursing school so she can continue to service her community and be an example for the younger generations.Â
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A member of the UTA baseball team, Tyler Rice has shown he is a leader on and off the field. Appearing in 45 games this past season, making 44 starts across the diamond, Rice was fifth on the team with a .282 batting average while carrying a .400 on-base percentage. The ultimate team player, Rice played four different positions, doing anything to help the team win. He was a catalyst that helped the team reach the semifinals of the WAC Tournament.
Â
Off the diamond, Rice is very involved in the community. Since the fall of 2018, he has played a big part in the department's annual canned food drive which takes place in November in conjunction with Mission Arlington, the Salvation Army, and the UTA food pantry. Each year the drive has collected over 6,000 canned goods and food items, totaling over 30,000 canned goods and food items for families in the DFW area during his tenure as a student-athlete. During winter, he participated in a coat and clothes drive for needy families throughout the community, while also playing a role in getting his teammates involved in the drive. He has volunteered for the "Mav-Move-In" event, which he helps new Mavericks move into their dorms by carrying things to the students' rooms, sharing tips and tricks for maneuvering around the campus, and helping get them settled in for the new school year.
Â
Rice also volunteers at baseball camps to help younger players develop their skills for the game. He takes great joy in volunteering with the Miracle League, where he gets to work with special athletes and teach them the game he loves the most.
Â
In the classroom, Rice carries a 3.833 GPA and is working towards his Masters in exercise science. He was named to the to the 2022-23 Academic All-WAC team.
Â
The winners of the Stan Bates Award will be announced in early September.
FOLLOW THE MAVS SOCIALLY
For up-to-date news, photos and videos, follow UTA Athletics online at UTAMavs.com or via several social media accounts on Twitter @UTAMavs, Instagram @UTAMavs and Facebook /UTAMavs.
Players Mentioned
Jumps/Sprints
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IF
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Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, March 06
Monday, February 05
