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2002-03 Regional Winners Named for Division II
Scholar Awards |
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Courtesy: Steve Murray, Commissioner Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
Princeton, WV -- Marci Mitchell of Carson-Newman College, the South Atlantic Conference’s President Award winner and Athlete of the Year, was one of sixteen regional winners of the NCAA Division II Conference Commissioners Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. A male and female Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be selected from the 16 regional winners, eight men and eight women. This is the second consecutive year the South Atlantic Conference has had a regional winner. Last year, Newberry College baseball player Alex Kellner was chosen as a regional winner. Mitchell (Lithonia, Ga./Shiloh High School) completed her brilliant career this season by going 16-6 with a 1.65 earned run average. She had 129 strikeouts in 148 innings and was among the South Atlantic Conference leaders in wins, ERA, strikeouts and strikeout-to-walk ratio. Mitchell holds the school record for strikeouts and no-hitters and won 98 games during her Lady Eagle career while helping to lead C-N to four SAC regular season titles and one appearance in the NCAA National tournament. She is the two-time SAC Player of the Year and was named the MVP of the 2002 Food Lion SAC Tournament. Mitchell was named the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2000 and is a four-time All-SAC selection as well as the recipient of the SAC Pitcher of the Week numerous times during her career. Mitchell was also a two-time recipient of the SAC President’s Award, presented to one male and female student-athlete who exemplifies the finest combined qualities of excellence in athletics, academics and community leadership. She is just the second person in SAC history to win both the Athlete of the Year Award and President’s Award in the same year. Elizabeth Roe, a women’s soccer player from Presbyterian College, was the first to accomplish that feat in 1997. Mitchell recently graduated with a degree in mathematics with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She has been selected the SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in softball for the past three seasons. Mitchell is a four-time member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and has been on the Carson-Newman and national Dean’s List every semester. She is the winner of the Alpha Chi Scholastic Award, is a member of the Blue Key National Honor Fraternity, Alpha Chi National College Honor Scholarship Society, Kappa Mu Epsilon National Mathematics Honor Society and is an All-American National Scholar. Mitchell is a member of Who’s Who Among American College Students and received the NFCA All-American Scholar Award in 2002. Mitchell was selected a first team Verizon Academic All-American in 2003. This award, sponsored by Disney’s Wide World of Sportsâ Complex, provides the opportunity for Division II to highlight the extraordinary achievements of its student-athletes. DII CCA President and Commissioner of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Barry Blizzard explains that the award showcases the talent at the NCAA Division II level. “Division II has the best of both worlds,” explains Blizzard, “great athletes and great students.” The commissioners from the regions that comprise the Division II basketball alignment selected the regional winners. To be nominated for consideration, a student-athlete must have attained a 3.0 career cumulative grade point average and possess outstanding athletic credentials. With a strong commitment to education and a long-standing relationship with Division II athletics, the involvement of Disney’s Wide World of Sportsâ Complex in the award represents a natural fit. “Disney’s Wide World of Sports' Complex has become a destination for top collegiate athletics, particularly at the Division II level,” said Fred Schoeler, Sports Account Manager for Disney Sports Attractions. “Having worked with the Division II Commissioners Association on the creation of Disney’s Division II Men’s and Women’s Tip Off Classic basketball tournaments, we are thrilled to continue our involvement with the Scholar Athlete Award, which honors the academic and athletic accomplishments of Division II’s top student-athletes.” The eight men’s regional winners include: Kris Chiles (UC San Diego); Shawn Colten (Clarion); Mark Eori (Southwest Baptist); Ashley Farr (USC Aiken); Sean Kenney (Assumption); Frank Kuchera (Nebraska-Kearney); Matt Spector (Quincy); Kevin Warrick (West Florida) Women’s regional winners are: Karen Darveaux (Winona State); Alice Duesing (Lake Superior State); Jesse Anne Fernandes (West Texas A&M); Missy Gregg (Christian Brothers); Laura Hall (Indiana, Pa); Marci Mitchell (Carson-Newman); Julianne Lovejoy (C.W. Post); Nichole Sauvegeau (Seattle); Only one regional winner earned the award for a second year a row, Laura Hall of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Spread over some 200 acres, Disney’s Wide World of Sportsâ Complex hosts more than 150 events in more than 30 sports each year at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. The state-of-the art facility includes nine venues and is home to numerous collegiate tournaments, Amateur Athletic Union championships, Tampa Bay Bucaneers Training Camp, Atlanta Braves Spring Training, Orlando Rays minor league baseball, the only permanent version of the NFL Experience and the All Star Café sports-themed restaurant. The national award winners will be announced in Late August. WOMENS REGIONAL SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR North Central Region -- KAREN DARVEAUX Great Lakes Region -- ALICE DUESING South Central Region -- JESS ANNE FERNANDES South Region -- MISSY GREGG East Region -- LAURA HALL Northeast Region -- JULIANNE LOVEJOY South Atlantic Region -- MARCI MITCHELL West Region -- NICHOLE SAUVAGEAU MENS REGIONAL SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR West Region -- KRIS CHILES East Region -- SHAWN COLTEN South Central Region -- MARK EORI South Atlantic Region -- ASHLEY FARR Northeast Region -- SEAN KENNEY North Central Region -- FRANK KUCHERA Great Lakes Region -- MATT SPECTOR South Region -- KEVIN WARRICK |
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