FAYETTEVILLE — Former Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi can add another award to his expanding trophy case.
Benintendi was named the winner of the Roy F. Kramer Male SEC Athlete of the Year award on Thursday, the latest in a long line of recognitions for a sophomore season in which Benintendi was the consensus national player of the year in college baseball.
The male athlete of the year award has been presented since 1976 and was renamed for former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer in 2004. Florida softball player Lauren Haeger won the female award.
Benintendi is the third Arkansas male to win the award, alongside runner Alistair Cragg (2003 and 2004) and basketball player Corliss Williamson (1994). Other past winners of the award include Peyton Manning, Herschel Walker and Shaquille O'Neal.
Benintendi was awarded the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy as national player of the year earlier this summer. He finished his sophomore season batting .376 with an NCAA-leading 20 home runs and 57 RBIs.
He was drafted by the Boston Red Sox with the seventh overall selection of the MLB Draft last month. He is currently playing for the Lowell Spinners, a minor league team in Massachusetts.