FRISCO, Texas – McNeese track and field student-athlete Grace McKenzie and baseball student-athlete Julian Gonzales are the recipients of the 2021 Steve McCarty Citizenship Awards, Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett announced Wednesday.
The McCarty award recognizes a male and female student-athlete who exhibit outstanding qualities in citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership and community service. The pair will be honored during the league's Virtual Awards Show, which will be held June 2 on Facebook Live.
The honor is named for the former Stephen F. Austin athletic director, who served at the school for 21 years, including 15 as athletic director. McCarty, an Alto, Texas, native, retired from SFA in 2005 and is a two-time graduate of the university. He is a member of the SFA Board of Regents and the SFA Alumni Association's "Football Coaches Hall of Honor." McCarty was inducted into the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 2006.
In the spirit of this award and with the Lake Charles community currently experiencing flash flooding, donations can be made to the McNeese Foundation: https://mcneesefoundation.org/give/campus-emergency-fund/
Grace McKenzie, McNeese Track & Field
Fresh off her 2021 Southland Heptathlon Championship, Grace McKenzie adds another honor as recipient of the McCarty Citizenship Award. A native of Cork, Ireland, McKenzie has embraced her McNeese and Lake Charles communities, especially during one of the most challenging years between COVID and consecutive powerful hurricanes just weeks apart. She was one of the first to coordinate group messaging to compile the various needs after the devastating effects of the storm. She served food to the community and spent days cleaning debris, help tarp roofs or whatever was needed.
Described as a "mother figure" to her teammates, she reminded everyone to pack extra clothing, stay hydrated, or to follow COVID protocols to keep the weight room and other team areas clean. The local schools are always eager to have her speak to their students about finding their passions, just as she did with sports.
McKenzie received her graduate degree with a dual concentration in exercise physiology and health promotion. She earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science in Spring 2019. In addition to her 2021 heptathlon title, she also won the same event in 2018 and was the 2018 Indoor Pentathlon champ. She holds five school records, three Southland Championship records and also set a record for her home country of Ireland.
Julian Gonzales, McNeese Baseball
Julian Gonzales is also compiling the honors as the reigning Southland Baseball Player of the Week receives the McCarty Award for his work ethic, positive attitude and great character off the field as well. The energetic outfielder logged more than 80 hours of service during immediate hurricane recovery with SAAC and his teammates. However, he most likely did much more than that, making himself available day and night to distribute essential items to those most in need following Hurricanes Laura and Delta.
Despite a challenging biology pre-med curriculum, Gonzales maintains an impressive 3.93 GPA and still always finds time to help not only his teammates but his entire community. Gonzales hails from nearby Sulphur, Louisiana, and his parents also attended McNeese State University. He is very encouraging and offers help to his teammates with their coursework either by tutoring or offering study tips.
A member of the team's Leadership Council, he is a true leader by example. He is the first to volunteer for a task and as McNeese head coach Justin Hill says, "He is a servant at heart…he always puts the team's interest ahead of his own."
