Former Garden City High School Lady Buffs bowler Faith Whited has been named to a National Junior College Athletic Association committee.
Whited, now attending Barton Community College in Great Bend and a member of the women’s bowling program, has been selected to serve as a Region VI representative on the recently established National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Student-Athlete Council (SAC).
“I am incredibly honored to have been chosen to represent Region VI,” said Whited. “I’m very excited to have this opportunity to make a change and help give the student-athletes of NJCAA schools in Kansas a voice. It will be an amazing experience for me and the others involved. I can’t wait to see what is next for the group!”
A native of Garden City, Whited is joined by Seward County Community College basketball player Samuel Henderson as the two Region VI representatives amongst a council of forty-eight across the nation.
“Faith was my first signee when we (Barton) started the bowling program,” said Mike Perry, Lady Cougar bowling coach. “Since arriving at Barton, Faith has been very actively involved in many areas of the campus, a team captain, and a perfect academic student in the classroom.”
In August, the NJCAA announced the SAC creation in providing student-athletes with tools for involvement at both the regional and national levels. Each region was asked to solicit their members in submitting nominations to be considered, with Whited being one of Barton’s submissions for consideration.
“Her involvement campus-wide and leadership on our team made Faith an obvious choice for me in submitting her,” said Perry. “She supports the College in a variety of ways with a desire to help children through the gift of music.”
Whited’s freshman year wrapped up on the lanes with a sixth place national finish in singles competition, a fourth place in doubles with teammate Taylor Cessna, and an eleventh individual placing overall to help the team earn a national runner-up finish concluding the program’s inaugural season.
In the classroom Whited was one of six Barton bowlers receiving national academic accolades from the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association (NCBCA) by being named a first team NJCAA All-Academic recipient for her perfect 4.0 GPA.
A gifted musician with talent to play a variety of instruments, Whited is actively involved with band, jazz band, pep band, choir, Dulce (women’s choir), and the Hilltop Singers. Whited is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society, as well as the current Vice-President of the National Association for Music Education. Studying to become a musical therapist, Whited’s hope is to assist kids’ learning through the use of music.
The inaugural meeting of the SAC was held in early November in announcing the forty-eight student-athlete council representatives. The SAC will hold five meetings next semester with several presenters and guest speakers, utilizing the gatherings to discuss the program and answer questions/concerns from the council.
For more on the creation of the NJCAA Student-Athlete Council, visit: National Office announces NJCAA Student-Athlete Council (https://www.njcaa.org/general/2020-21/releases/20200831j7q6xw)
More regarding Barton Women’s Bowling can be found online at www.BartonSports.com