Four UGA Bulldogs Honored At 2023 Peach Of An Athlete Awards Banquet

Mar. 29—ATHENS, Ga. — University of Georgia graduates Kearis Jackson (football), Cecily Stoute (women's soccer) and senior Caterina Don(women's golf) along with former Bulldog and NFL standout Mohamed Massaquoi were honored at the 39th Annual Peach of an Athlete Role Model Banquet Tuesday at Truist Park.

Jackson, Stoute and Don were part of 10 amateur collegiate student-athletes named honorees by the Atlanta Area Council and Boy Scouts of America. Each year, the Atlanta Area Council and Boy Scouts of America honor student-athletes from the state of Georgia or a college or university in Georgia, who have distinguished themselves by their character, scholastic achievement, academic excellence, and community service — characteristics taught every day in the Scouting program. The Scouting organization takes great pride in recognizing those who serve as good "Role Models for Youth."

Jackson, a native of Fort Valley, Ga., saw action in 55 career games as a wide receiver and return specialist and was a part of back-to-back national championships. He received his undergraduate degree in Housing Management and Policy in 2021. He made an impact off the field including being named to the 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. This elite group is limited to just 11 players nationally from the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision who demonstrate exceptional leadership on and off the field. This past season, he tallied 21 catches for 320 yards, led the team in kick returns with 18 for 381 yards and returned punts.

Stoute, a native of Atlanta, Ga., was a United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Third team selection in 2022 and a two-time second team All-SEC honoree in her career. She was a regular on the SEC Academic Honor Roll, earned Presidential Scholar distinction in 2021 and was named a 2022 Arthur Ashe Sport Scholar. This past season, she helped Georgia to the NCAA Tournament and set career bests for minutes, shots and shots on goal in a season. She graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Journalism in May of 2022. She is pursuing a master's degree in journalism at UGA.

Don, a native of Pinerolo, Italy, earned the 2022 Joel Eaves Scholar-Athlete Award as the female student-athlete with the highest Grade Point Average entering her final campaign. A mathematics major, she has been named a WGCA All-American Scholar and featured annually on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and as a UGA Presidential Scholar. In 2022, she helped Georgia advance to the quarterfinals of match play at the NCAA Championships. In her career, Don has made the SEC All-Freshmen team, the All-SEC team and been named a second team Golf Week All-American.

Also on Tuesday, three additional awards were presented: The Hank Aaron Role Model Award, The Bobby Jones Award and The Professional Award. These awards go to community leaders that hold the same values as Scouting and benefits the programs of Atlanta Area Council and Boy Scouts of America. Massaquoi was the 2023 recipient of the Professional Award. This award goes to a well-known, successful professional athlete who exemplifies qualities of responsible citizenship and outstanding character. Past recipients of this award include Champ Bailey, Dominique Wilkins, Brian Jordan, Warrick Dunn, Calvin Johnson, Jr., Jeff Van Note and Dikembe Mutombo.

A first team All-Southeastern Conference wide receiver and Academic All-SEC selection, Massaquoi was a four-year letterman including being named one of the permanent team captains in 2008. He was a second-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2009 and spent five years playing professional football. Along with a degree in psychology from UGA, he completed the Program for Leadership Development, Executive MBA from the Harvard Business School as well as a master's in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from UGA. His football playing career ended when his left hand had to be amputated after an all-terrain vehicle accident. Currently, he works as a managing director for VESSOL, a consulting firm in Atlanta.