Former McIntosh soccer player Danielle Gray was among 78 Ole Miss students to receive the 2017 Taylor Medal, the school’s highest academic honor a student can receive. The awards were presented last week at the 74th annual Honors Convocation.
Last year Gray was named Student-Athlete of the Year for the women’s soccer team.
The Taylor Medal recognizes outstanding academic performance and is given to no more than one percent of the student body. To be considered, a student must have a grade-point average of at least a 3.90.
Gray becomes the second Ole Miss soccer player to earn the award. A transfer from Kennesaw State, she is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll recipient.
In 2015 she played in all but one match and logged more than 1,100 minutes tallying two goals and three assists. The team reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and their highest-ever final ranking at No. 16 in 2015.
After missing last season with a knee injury, Gray is returning for her final year as a graduate student.
“Since joining our program a few years ago, Dani has proven to be a leader for us in a multitude of ways,” said head soccer coach Matt Mott. “A former transfer who’s battled adversity her whole career, Dani has excelled academically and truly embraces the term student-athlete. We’re very excited for her to receive the Outstanding Undergraduate Marketing Student Award, and are especially thrilled she is one of the very few recipients of the Taylor Medal.”
Derek Cowherd, senior associate athletic director of student-athlete development, is pleased with the example that Edie and Gray have set for their fellow student-athletes.
“Aubrey and Danielle have been great examples of what we would hope all student-athletes could accomplish in their collegiate careers,” said Cowherd. “To be honored as a Taylor medalist is an impressive feat in and of itself, but for an accomplished athlete to do so should make the University community very proud.”
