While the Scouts' Role Model Banquet honored 12 standout student-athletes from around the southeast who are model citizens in their communities, Verdun earned the top overall female honor.

"I am elated that we have a Georgia State volleyball player receiving this award," said Panthers head coach Tami Audia. "Vineece is definitely deserving as she has put in hours of hard work in all three of the fields we stress- academics, athletics and in the community. I truly believe Vineece will go on to big things in the future all while being an outstanding ambassador for GSU."

A native of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., Verdun graduated with honors (4.01 GPA) in December and is headed to law school in the fall. She is deciding between acceptance letters from many of the nation's top programs including Columbia, Duke and Georgetown.

Verdun was a model student-athlete during her career as a Panther, twice winning the Colonial Athletic Association's Scholar-Athlete of the Year prize in volleyball and earning Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-American status in 2011.

She also led the Panthers on the court as the first player in program history to claim back-to-back all-CAA first team selections. Verdun finished her career ranked in the top 10 of four school categories, including sixth with a .318 attack percentage.

An avid contributor to the community, Verdun earned a spot on GSU's all-service team thanks to her many efforts. She volunteered with Common Cause Georgia (a citizens' public policy initiative), Hands on Atlanta (a volunteer community service organization) and Visions Unlimited, mentoring middle school and high school students.  She also volunteered much of her time with the Panther volleyball team, visiting organizations like Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

It is the third time GSU has claimed the overall female honor in the history of the award but additional Panthers have been recognized over the years at the event, including volleyball's Audrey Cantrell and golf's Charlotte Lorentzen in 2011.

Jenkins, a senior from Midloathian, Texas, was a standout student-athlete with the GSU football team. In addition to starting two seasons on the defensive line, he graduated with a 3.9 GPA and earned numerous academic achievements.

He became one of the team's first-ever Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District selections and was the team's first selection to the FCS Academic All-Star Team. He served on the team's Leadership Council and was given the 2011 Picket Riggs Award as the GSU male student-athlete with the highest GPA.

For consideration for the Peach of an Athlete recognition, candidates must excel on the playing field and in their communities for a college or university in the state of Georgia. Candidates at out-of-state institutions who grew up in Georgia are also considered.

Proceeds from Tuesday's Role Model Banquet event go to funding Scouting programs in the Atlanta Area Council's 13-county district.