ROCK HILL, S.C. – A record 1,710 student-athletes, including 129 Anderson University student-athletes, spanning each of the South Atlantic Conference's 11 member institutions and 20 sports, have been named to the 2017-18 SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. The overall number of honorees represents an increase of seven student-athletes from last year's list, as announced by the league office, Thursday morning.
To be eligible for inclusion on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, student-athletes must have competed in a sponsored championship sport and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher throughout the academic year.
"We are extremely proud of the academic accomplishments of our student-athletes in the SAC," said South Atlantic Conference Commissioner Patrick Britz. "In addition to being successful on the court and playing field, our student-athletes, coaches and administrators have worked very hard to ensure success in the classroom, and we are thrilled to recognize this accomplishment."
The number of Trojan student-athletes earning the honor has increased each year since Anderson joined the conference in 2010-11 and this year's total was no exception. The Trojan baseball team featured 23 players on the list – an increase of more than 21 percent over last year, with women's soccer placing 16 student-athletes on the honor roll. Women's cross country and track & field saw 14 squad members named to the prestigious list, while the softball team had a dozen players named to the honor roll.
Among the Trojan honorees were a pair of Academic All-America honorees in Emily Conlin (Volleyball) and Alexis Dillard (Women's Basketball), alongside five SAC Elite 20 Award winners (Samantha Ellison, Abigail Bozarth, Cassie Ketchum, Kasey Grant and Kristin Herbert). The Elite 20 Award is given to the student-athlete with the top cumulative grade-point average at the final site of each of the league's 20 team championship sports.
Dillard, Herbert and Grant were also named as the SAC Scholar-Athletes for women's basketball, women's soccer and softball, respectively.
Among the notable honor roll selections were 10 SAC Players of the Year and 10 SAC Freshmen of the Year from 2017-18:
Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman | Women's Soccer Player of the Year
Mattia DiTommaso, Wingate | Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year
Hannah Wolkenhauer, Queens | Women's Cross Country/ Track Runner of the Year
Thomas Bains, Queens | Men's Cross Country Runner of the Year
Gillian Kasitz, Queens | Women's Cross Country Freshman of the Year
Taylor Prall, Lenoir-Rhyne | Volleyball Freshman of the Year
Qua Hines, Lincoln Memorial | Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year
Max Miller, Newberry | Men's Basketball Freshman of the Year
Elijah Inuwa, Queens | Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year
Ethan Elliott, Lincoln Memorial | Baseball Pitcher of the Year
Dan Bradbury, Lincoln Memorial | Men's Golf Freshman of the Year
Michela Verpelli, Wingate | Women's Tennis Player of the Year
Daniel Belsito, Wingate | Men's Tennis Player of the Year
Josep Canyadell, Wingate | Men's Tennis Freshman of the Year
Collin Lett, Lenoir-Rhyne | Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year
Myles Moffat, Lenoir-Rhyne | Men's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year
Ines Flueck, Lenoir-Rhyne | Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year
Brooklyn Tilley, Catawba | Women's Lacrosse Freshman of the Year
Martin Knauer, Queens | Men's Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year and Freshman of the Year