Waco, Texas – Paula Baranano (women's tennis), Kayley Ables (soccer), Elijah Bean (football) and Chris DuPree (men's track & field) have been selected as the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence (SACE) July Champions of the Month.
This award recognizes student-athletes who achieve their personal bests in the areas of academic achievement, athletic success, character formation and spiritual growth.
Each of these student-athletes was nominated by a SACE team member based upon their embodiment of the four pillars.
Baranano, a fourth-year junior marketing major from Mar Del Plata, Argentina, earned Academic All-Big 12 first-team and ITA Scholar Athlete honors while helping the women's tennis team achieve ITA All-Academic team status for the seventh-straight year.
On the court, she compiled a 14-4 dual-match singles record and helped the Bears (24-5) to a runner-up finish in the Big 12, the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 14 national ranking. "I am grateful for all that Baylor has done for me," Paula said. "At Baylor, they have proven to me that hard work pays off, and I am super happy for my journey as a Bear."
A product of the crosstown Waco High soccer program, Ables was a second-team All-Big 12 pick after earning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week honors. She graduated in May 2021 with a business degree and started working on her MBA this summer.
Through an internship this summer with Woof's Play & Stay, "Kayley helped me think through several operational things I would need for my new team and the equipment I needed," the owner said. Ables, returning for a fifth season with soccer, said she is "thankful to Baylor Athletics for always pushing me to be the best version of myself on and off the field."
An early-enrollee freshman for the Spring 2021 semester, Bean "has shown that he is committed to his education and willing to go the extra mile to get things done. Elijah is a rockstar," said learning specialist Molly Pannell.
Majoring in biology, Elijah is from Summer Creek High School in Humble, Texas, and was rated one of the top 10 wide receiver prospects in the state. "The academics at Baylor is one of the main reasons I came here," he said. "Having the ability to be at Baylor to lay the foundation for my future is important to me."
DuPree, a freshman from Kansas City, Mo., "has made huge strides since starting here at Baylor," academic coach Travon Carter said. "He struggled out of the gate, but has shown grit and worked hard to bounce back."
In his first collegiate season, DuPree earned All-Big 12 honors with a runner-up finish in the 600-yard run at the conference indoor meet with a personal-best 1:08.59. "Baylor is a prestigious school," he said, "so being able to graduate from here while also spending my four years of college here is a great opportunity for me. When my dad and I stepped on this campus, we knew it was the place for me."
