ROCK HILL, SC –Lenoir-Rhyne College junior Nolan Winters, a two-time all-conference runner, and Mars Hill senior Rachel Retallick, an All-Conference runner and Academic All-American, were selected as the 2004 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athletes for men’s and women’s cross country.

Nolan Winters and Rachel Retallick were selected as the 2004 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athletes for men’s and women’s cross country. Winters has a 3.96 GPA in computer-aided graphic design and general studies. Retallick carries a 3.94 GPA as a biology and pre-med major.

Winters has finished third overall in the SAC Championship meet the last two years. He finished second overall at the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational this year. In 2002, he was named to the Division II All-Southeast Region team.

Winters has a 3.96 GPA in computer-aided graphic design and general studies. He has been named to the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, the Lenoir-Rhyne President’s List, and was the recipient of the 2003-04 Piedmont Educational Foundation/Bears Club Scholar Athlete of the Year, given annually to the Lenoir-Rhyne male and female student-athletes with the highest grade point average.

He has helped raise money for multiple sclerosis by participating in fundraising walks, and was selected to serve as a 2004 Lenoir-Rhyne Prologue Leader.

Retallick wins the award for the second years in a row. She is in her third season as a runner, but has already achieved senior status academically, where she carries a 3.94 GPA as a biology and pre-med major.

She is a two-time All-Conference selection, has been named All-Region, and has been an integral part of Mars Hill’s back-to-back region championship teams. She was named SAC Runner of the Week this season after winning the North Carolina State Championship, where she beat out 70 other runners.

She was named an Academic All-American as a freshman.

Rachel carries her impressive GPA in a demanding study, with her goal to be a sports medicine doctor. She is a Grayson Scholar, the highest honor possible at Mars Hill. She has been on the Dean’s List every semester, and has earned all A’s with only one B since the sixth grade.

Rachel is an active participant in both the community and church. She volunteers with Mountain Hopes, a therapeutic equestrian center for handicapped children, as well as Habitat for Humanity. She also volunteers one day a week at St. Mission Joseph’s Hospital, as well as working with high school students with learning disabilities. Lastly, she was profiled in a story on the SAC Website.

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one athlete from each of the conference's 14 sport programs and represents a combination of athletic skill, academic achievement and participation in community service and leadership.