ROCK HILL, SC – A men’s soccer player who is good at putting up numbers on the field as well as in the classroom, and one of the conference’s most decorated female student-athletes have been named as the 2002-03 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award recipients, following a vote of the league’s Faculty Athletics Representatives at the annual SAC Business Meetings in Asheville, N.C.

Benjamin Bostic named as a 2002-03 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award winner.

Benjamin Bostic, a junior men’s soccer player from Mars Hill College, and Marci Mitchell, a softball pitcher from Carson-Newman College, are this year’s honorees. Mitchell wins the award for the second year in a row.

The SAC Presidents Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards the conference awards to its student athletes. It exemplifies the finest combined qualities of excellence in athletics, academics and community leadership. During the year, the South Atlantic Conference recognizes 14 Scholar Athletes, representing each of the conference-sponsored sports. The top male and female SAC Scholar Athletes from each represented member school are then nominated for the Presidents Award.

Bostic, from Wingate, NC (Forest Hills HS), is a junior business and mathematics major and has a 3.86 GPA. He is a professor’s assistant for Math 101 and frequently teaches the class. He is a Grayson scholar and has been on the Mars Hill Dean’s List every semester, as well as the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. As a Grayson Scholar, Ben has compiled more than 140 hours of community service. He has participated in Make a Difference Day, and helped build a playground at a local elementary school. On the field, he ranked fifth in the conference this past season in both goals per match and points per match.

“In the classroom, Ben is the type of student we want in our courses,” said Don Russell, Faculty Athletic Representative at Mars Hill College. “His intellect, work habits, and competitiveness make him an extraordinary talent.”

Marci Mitchell named as a 2002-03 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award winner. She wins for the second straight year.

Mitchell, a senior from Lithonia, Ga. (Shiloh HS), was a co-winner last year for the women’s award, and becomes the fifth person in conference history to win the award more than once.

Mitchell was named the 2003 SAC Softball Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She went 15-5 as a pitcher with 115 strikeouts and eight shutouts.

She won the Scholar-Athlete for Softball for the third consecutive year. Mitchell has a perfect 4.0 GPA as a senior mathematics major. She was recently selected to the Verizon Academic All-America Team in softball. She has been on the Carson-Newman Dean’s List and SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll for every semester. She is a member of the Blue Key national honor society, Alpha Chi national honor scholarship society, and Kappa Mu Epsilon mathematics honor society. She was selected to the Verizon CoSIDA Academic All-District Team and an All-American National Scholar and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American Scholar Award.

On the field, Marci continues to be one of the top pitchers in The South Atlantic Conference. On campus and in the community, Marci visits a local nursing home and volunteers at a local church. She helps feed and care for patients at a local Rehabilitation Center. 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.

“Simply put, Marci Mitchell is unsurpassed as a student-athlete,” said Ross Brummett, Faculty Athletic Representative at Carson-Newman College. “By athletic and academic accomplishments both, Marci is one of the finest female student-athletes we have ever had at Carson-Newman and in the South Atlantic Conference.”