GOLDEN, Colo. - Women's soccer's Reese McDermott and football's Max McLeod have been named the December 2024 President's Senior Scholar-Athletes ahead of the Colorado School of Mines' Commencement ceremonies on December 13.

Awarded twice annually prior to the May and December commencements, the prestigious award is given to one male and one female student-athlete who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and the leadership qualities of an exemplary student-athlete. On Friday, McDermott will receive a B.S. in quantitative biosciences & engineering and McLeod will get a M.S. in engineering & technology management.

A native of Houston, Texas, McDermott is one of the most accomplished student-athletes in Mines women's soccer history. A two-time RMAC Player of the Year and Academic Player of the Year, McDermott was a four-time First-Team All-RMAC honoree scoring 53 goals with 19 assists over her career. She led Mines to the RMAC regular-season and tournament championships and NCAA South Central regional title in both 2022 and 2024, and this season was the D2CCA regional player of the year and D2CCA First-Team All-America after scoring 19 goals and seven assists. She ranks third all-time in program history in goals, third in points, and fifth in assists. 

A native of Seattle, Wash., McLeod leaves Mines as one of the most accomplished wide receivers in school, RMAC, and NCAA history as a two-time all-American and record-setting player. McLeod had a Mines-record 4,688 career receiving yards, catching 54 touchdowns on 290 catches in his career. He was a part of three RMAC championship teams and won three NCAA regional titles with two appearances in the NCAA Division II championship game. McLeod finishes fourth all-time in NCAA Division II history in receiving yards. He was a consensus First-Team All-American in 2023 and an Associated Press Second-Team All-American in 2022, and three-time all-RMAC selection. McLeod is receiving his master's degree after getting a B.S. in mechanical engineering in December 2023.