Complete List of Award Winners (PDF format)

CLINTON, SC - The South Atlantic Conference spring sports all-conference teams and award winners were announced on the campus of Presbyterian College, Wednesday night to kick off the 2002 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Spring Sports Festival.

Nearly 900 players, coaches, family members, media, and support staff attended this year’s function.

The 2002 South Atlantic Conference Baseball Coach of the Year is Keith Kessinger of Carson-Newman. Kessinger, in his second year at the school, led his team to the 2002 SAC regular season championship, the fourth in school history. The Eagles finished 15-6 in the SAC, and 35-15 overall. Kessinger receives this award for the first time in his career.

Vickee Hollifield of Carson-Newman College was named the SAC Softball Coach of the Year for the ninth time in her career. Hollifield led her team to the 2002 SAC regular season championship for the tenth time in 13 years with a 13-1 conference record.

Presbyterian College’s Bobby McKee was recognized as Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year for the third consecutive year. Tusculum’s Tommy Arnett, who guided the Pioneers to their first-ever regular-season title in men’s tennis, was named Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year.

Sam Gealy of Catawba College was named Men’s Golf Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. The Indians had three top-five finishes this year.

Lenoir-Rhyne’s first-year coach Brian Bailie was honored as Women’s Golf Coach of the Year. He guided his team to three first-place and seven top-three finishes this year.

The 2002 Baseball Player of the Year, from Carson-Newman College, was outfielder Heath Mason. The Athens, Tenn., (Hiwassee JC) native led the SAC in home runs and RBIs per game and was third in the conference in batting average.

Marci Mitchell of Carson-Newman College was named the 2002 SAC Softball Player of the Year. She went 25-2 as a pitcher with 182 strikeouts and 11 shutouts.

The Men’s Tennis Player of the Year was Aref Jallali of Wingate University. He is the top player on the Bulldogs team, going 10-4 and is ranked 14th in the region.

Tusculum College standout Lesley Murray was named Women’s Tennis Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She went 16-1 in singles competition and 6-0 in conference matches.

Brent Dyson of Tusculum, who averaged 74.8 strokes per round and won two tournaments, was named Men’s Golfer of the Year.

Lenoir-Rhyne’s Meghan Jolly was named Women’s Golfer of the Year for the third straight year. She led the conference in scoring, won two tournaments, and posted the four lowest rounds.

Justin Mahon of Mars Hill, who led the Lions in home runs and RBI, was named the Baseball Freshman of the Year.

The 2002 South Atlantic Conference Softball Freshman of the Year, from Wingate University, Jennifer Whited. She was third in the conference in earned run average and went 15-7, and was named Pitcher of the Week on two occasions. She also helped at the plate, where she was third on the team in RBIs.

Roberto Robles, of Tusculum College, was named Men’s Tennis Freshman of the Year after an outstanding inaugural year. He was 12-2 overall this season, including a 5-1 SAC record. He is 2-1 against regionally ranked players. He was also 6-0 in league doubles matches. He was named SAC Player of the Week.

Women’s Tennis Co-Champions Tusculum and Presbyterian also shared the Women’s Tennis Freshman of the Year Award. Tusculum’s Gabriela Mora, who was 13-4 overall and 5-1 in SAC play, and Presbyterian’s Elise Netzler, who was 12-4 overall and 5-1 in conference play, were named Co-Freshmen of the Year for Women’s Tennis.

Tusculum first-year standout Josh Vandeventer was named Men’s Golf Freshman of the Year. He finished with a 77.78 stroke average and recorded a season-low round of 72.

Lenoir-Rhyne’s Carlie Gordon, was named Women’s Golf Freshman of the Year. She had four top-10 finishes this year.

Newberry College’s Alex Kellner was honored as the Baseball Scholar Athlete. Alex is a senior Business major with a 3.96 GPA. He is a Class Marshall, and a three-time member of both the Newberry Dean’s List and SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He is a member of the Bachman Honor Society, the most prestigious in Newberry’s history, as well as the Phi Alpha Theta historical honor society. He is the recipient of the Derrick Business Scholarship, the highest honor awarded to a business major. On the baseball field, he is batting .318 this season, the third best on the team. He led the team with seven home runs and 38 RBI this season. In the community, Alex tutors at a local middle school and serves as a coach at youth baseball camps during the summer.

The SAC Scholar-Athlete for Softball is Marci Mitchell from Carson-Newman College, who wins the award for the second consecutive year. Marci has a perfect 4.0 GPA as a junior mathematics major. She has been on the Carson-Newman Dean’s List and SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll for five semesters. She is a member of the Blue Key national honor society, Alpha Chi national honor scholarship society, and Kappa Mu Epsilon mathamatics honor society. She was selected to the Verizon CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and an All-American National Scholar. On the field, Marci continues to be one of the top pitchers in The South Atlantic Conference. She has pitched three no-hitters this season, and set the school record with 14 strikeouts in a game on two occasions. She has a 25-2 record with a 1.11 ERA and was named SAC Pitcher of the Week three times this year. She is also a two-time All-Region selection. On campus and in the community, Marci visits a local nursing home and volunteers at a local church. She helps serve and deliver food to the needy through the Daily Bread Community Kitchen. She has helped solicit book donations for area schools and worked with a book fair. She has volunteered at the local Samaritan House to help individuals improve their computer skills.

The Men’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete is Marius Dan from Wingate University. Marius is a sophomore Business Administration major with a 3.914 GPA. He has been on the President’s List for two semesters and the Dean’s List for one. He was awarded the Jesse duPont Research Grant for this summer and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma honor society, where he serves as vice president. On the court, Marius has a 12-7 record this season, playing No. 2, 3 or 4 singles and was a second-team All-Conference selection this year. On campus and in the community, Marius is president of the International Student Organization and is one of two Wingate students to serve on the Academic Affairs Committee. He is on the Wingate Student Athlete Advisory Committee, is a Presidential Ambassador and a Resident Assistant. He serves as a tutor at the Academic Resource Center and has been selected a Leadership Fellow at Wingate, a program that identifies campus leaders.

Jenna Calomeris, from Wingate University, is the SAC Scholar-Athlete for Women’s Tennis for the second consecutive year. Jenna has a perfect 4.0 GPA as a senior communication studies major. She has been on Wingate University’s President’s List five times, and has been on the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll three years. She has received the Ann Hancock Scholarship Award and the Wingate Trustee Scholarship. She has been a member of the Alpha Chi honor society for two years. Last year, she was the recipient of the SAC President’s Award, presented to the conference’s top male and female student athletes.

On the court, Jenna has a 17-3 record, the best on the Wingate team and is the team captain. Her three-year career record at Wingate is 44-9 and she is a three-time All-conference selection.

On campus and in the community, Jenna is active in many endeavors. She volunteers with the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. She originated the idea to adopt the American Cancer Society as the philanthropy of the Wingate Athletic Department, and then coordinated all athletic teams and campus organizations to help with a benefit basketball tournament. She is a board member of the local Red Cross chapter, where she helps with blood drives and fundraising events. She is a member of the Wingate University Bulldog Buddies program, helping tutor and mentor local elementary students. She is one of two students on the Wingate University Student Relations Board. She has been a public relations intern with the Jesse Helms Center and with the American Cancer Society, a member of the Wingate University Leadership Fellows program and the Wingate University campus outreach program.

Tusculum College’s Tim Dalton was chosen Scholar Athlete in Men’s Golf. He has a 3.61 GPA as a senior Accounting major. He has been named to the Tusculum Dean’s List five of his six semesters. He is a three-time member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. On the course, Tim averages 78.83 strokes per round this season. He has three top-25 finishes this season. In 2000, he led Tusculum in scoring, and holds the school record with a nine-hole score of 31. He is a two-time All-American Scholar Athlete by the Golf Coaches Association. Tim is also a campus leader off the course. He was one of three Tusculum students selected to serve on a search committee for an English professor. He also performed a voter registration community service project, where he not only helped register voters in Greene County and on the Tusculum campus, but spoke at high schools on how to be an educated and informed voter. He has spent time helping at a local shelter and the Holston Home for Children, performing odd jobs, yardwork and maintenance.

The SAC Scholar-Athlete for Women’s Golf is Cris Mechereffe from Wingate University, who wins this award for the third consecutive year. Cris has a 3.794 GPA as a senior Business Administration major. She is in the Alpha Chi Honor Society and the Delta Mu Delta business national honor society. She has been on the Wingate’s Dean List and President’s List throughout her career.

On the course, Cris is the number one player for Wingate and is a four-year starter and three-time MVP. She has won four tournaments during her career and is a three-time All-SAC selection.

Cris is also a member of the Wingate University Bulldog Buddies program, where she helps tutor and mentor area elementary students. She is a member of the athletic department volunteer service, Bulldog Helping Hands, and is part of the Wingate University Leadership Fellows, a prestigious program which identifies potential campus leaders. She also has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.