ROCK HILL, S.C. – A record 1,703 student-athletes, including 128 Anderson University student-athletes, spanning each of the South Atlantic Conference's 12 member institutions, have been named to the 2016-17 SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. The overall number of honorees represents an increase of 148 student-athletes from last year's list.
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.
"To have another record-breaking number of student-athletes on this list is a great honor for the entire South Atlantic Conference," said South Atlantic Conference Commissioner Patrick Britz. "Our student-athletes, coaches and administrators work very hard to have success in the classroom and on the court/field of play and I am 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 represents a jump of nearly 10 percent from a year ago and the 128 student-athletes earning the honor marked nearly 56 percent of the total number of AU student-athletes at the end of the spring semester.
The Trojan baseball team featured 19 players on the list, with women's track placing 16 student-athletes on the honor roll, including 13 who also competed on the women's cross country squad, which paced the athletic department last semester with a 3.69 GPA. Women's soccer saw 15 squad members on the honor roll for the second consecutive year and volleyball registered nearly a dozen players.
Lenoir-Rhyne led the SAC with 188 student-athletes on the honor roll. Tusculum came in at No. 2 with 172. In third was Queens with 167, ahead of Wingate who posted 160. At No. 5 was Newberry with 153, followed by Coker with 139 and Lincoln Memorial with 136. At No. 8 was Carson-Newman as it placed 134 student-athletes on the list. Anderson and Catawba tied for the No. 9 slot. Mars Hill recorded 105 student-athletes on the honor roll, while Brevard rounded out the list with 93.
Among the notable honor roll selections were seven SAC Players of the Year from 2016-17:
Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman | Women's Soccer
Nathan Jones, Mars Hill | Men's Cross Country
Megan Pittman, Lincoln Memorial | Women's Hoops
Jules Athalis, Queens | Women's Tennis
Carlotta Nassi, Queens | Men's Tennis
Mike Hanlon, Lenoir-Rhyne | Men's Lacrosse
Sarah Kenley, Lenoir-Rhyne | Softball
