July 2, 2015
Running back Ralph Webb broke Commodore rushing records as a freshman last year. But he’s been selected to represent the Vanderbilt football program at Southeastern Conference Media Days later this month for his off-the-field endeavors.
This May, Webb and a small group of Vanderbilt undergrads traveled in eastern Australia to study biodiversity on the Gold Coast. The class included snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, kayaking through mangroves, and hiking and zip-lining in lush tropical rainforests on Fraser Island.
Webb and 13 other SEC standouts were announced today as student-athletes to be featured in the league’s new initiative “Beyond The Field: Stories of the SEC.” Their compelling stories outside of athletics will bring a new element to SEC Football Media Days, which is scheduled July 13-16 in Hoover, Ala.
New SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey praised the initiative focusing on off-the-field accomplishments of SEC student-athletes.
“The athletic achievements of the SEC continue to be well-documented, but many of our student-athletes lead interesting lives or have intriguing stories that happen away from the field of play. This is an opportunity to tell stories of academic achievement, personal ambition, community service, determination in the face of adversity and character of mind. These student-athletes are the chapters of a larger book that is the story of the Southeastern Conference,” Sankey said.
For the full SEC release, click HERE.
Vanderbilt Athletics and the league office will name two additional Commodore student-athletes joining Webb and Head Coach Derek Mason at Media Days. The Vanderbilt contingent is scheduled to address nearly 1,000 media members on Monday, July 13.
The journey to Australia and unique studies left a profound impression on Webb, a sophomore from Gainesville, Fla.
“It was an incredible experience, everything about it,” Webb said. “Honestly, when I came to Vanderbilt, I never thought about studying abroad. For it to happen, especially in Australia, is just amazing.
“Everything about the class, even the trip getting there, was new for me. I feel like all of us (fellow students) learned and experienced a great deal,” he added.
The class, led by Dr. Amanda Benson, a Vanderbilt biological science professor, focused on biodiversity, reforestation research, and conservation efforts for crocodiles, cassowaries and corals. The group of 12 students, including Webb and fellow football student-athlete Chris Martin, were encouraged to experience the wonders of these naturally unique ecosystems: staying and hiking in tropical rainforests, boating in mangroves swamps, and swimming off Fraser Island among the most diverse corals and fish of the world.
In recent years, Vanderbilt student-athletes have increasingly traveled aboard to study or perform athletic department-affiliated aid. In 2014, former starting quarterback Patton Robinette, who is enrolling in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine this fall, studied medical systems in France while punter Taylor Hudson traveled with other student-athletes on an aid trip to Costa Rica.
Other SEC student-athletes included in the initiative with Webb are senior linebacker Reggie Ragland of Alabama, senior running back Jonathan Williams of Arkansas, junior quarterback Jeremy Johnson of Auburn, senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard of Florida, senior wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell of Georgia, senior defensive tackle Melvin Lewis of Kentucky, sophomore running back Leonard Fournette of LSU, junior tight end Evan Engram of Ole Miss, senior quarterback Dak Prescott of Mississippi State, senior cornerback Kenya Davis of Missouri, junior placekicker Elliott Fry of South Carolina, junior quarterback Joshua Dobbs of Tennessee, and senior center Mike Matthews of Texas A&M.
