Franks Named Finalist For Walter Byers Scholarship
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In continued recognition of his standout efforts in the classroom, track and field student-athlete Nathanael Franks has been named a finalist for the prestigious Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship which is awarded annually by the NCAA. This most recent honor comes on the heels of last week’s nomination for the SEC’s H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship.
Franks was a 2014-15 finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University and is currently pursuing a second master’s degree, this one in accounting with an expected graduation in Spring 2015. He has already completed a master’s degree in business management and earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and physics with a minor in history while graduating magna cum laude. Franks was the 2013 recipient of the Coach John Wooden Citizenship Cup.
Franks has previously been recognized as the 2014 Razorback Foundation Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2013 SEC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and 2013 Razorback Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He is also a member of the 2011-14 SEC Academic Honor Roll.
The Damascus, Ore., earned a spot on the USTFCCCA All-America Second Team in 2013 for his national finish in the decathlon. That same season he was an SEC indoor champion with the Razorbacks’ distance-medley relay team. As a multi-events standout, Franks ranks fourth in school history in the heptathlon and decathlon with career-high scores of 5,497 and 7,520 points, respectively.
The NCAA established the Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship Program in 1988 to recognize the contributions of the former executive director through encouraging excellence in academic efforts by student-athletes. Under the program, one male and one female student-athlete are annually awarded a scholarship in recognition of outstanding academic achievement and potential for success in postgraduate study.
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