ROCK HILL, SC – Carson-Newman College junior Erika Bellettini (San Mateo, Venezuela), who went undefeated in conference play (6-0) and 17-3 overall, was named the South Atlantic Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, the league announced today.

Regular-season champion Presbyterian College and Tusculum College each placed four players on the All-Conference squad, including three players each on First Team.

Catawba College freshman KT Rebadow (Niagara Falls, NY) was named the SAC Freshman of the Year. Rebadow and Lauren Fluegge went 12-10 at No. 1 doubles.

Presbyterian head coach Bobby McKee was named Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year after leading the Blue Hose to the league title, the school’s ninth overall. He wins the award for the fourth time in his career.

Tusculum College’s Jobria McCracken (Douglasville, Ga.) was named Women’s Tennis Scholar Athlete. McCracken is a junior with a 3.9 GPA as a pre-medicine major. She was undefeated in the conference (6-0) and 16-3 overall at No. 5 singles this year and has a career singles record of 44-9. She is also undefeated (10-0) in doubles with partner Danae Valderrama.

McCracken was an ITA All-American last year and a CoSIDA Academic All-District IV At-Large First Team selection last year. She is member of Alpha Chi Honor Society for the top one percent of the junior class, and received the Alpha Chi Academic Excellence Award.

In the community, McCracken opened and serves as chairperson on the local chapter of the College Republicans and volunteered for campaigns of local Republicans and organized Republican rallies on campus. She is also a member of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and tutors on campus and at a local elementary school. She also volunteers at the Holston Home for Children and Cedar Creek Learning Center.

2005 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS AWARD WINNERS
FIRST TEAM
Erika Bellettini, Carson-Newman
Nancie Gruber, Mars Hill
Lauren Brown, Presbyterian
Catherine Bankhead, Presbyterian
Taylor Lynch, Presbyterian
Claudia Bolivar, Tusculum
Maria Nevarez, Tusculum
Danae Valderrama, Tusculum
SECOND TEAM
Tessa Caprio, Carson-Newman
KT Rebadow, Catawba
Julia McKenzie, Catawba
Whitney Stroud, Mars Hill
Lisa Moyer, Presbyterian
Jobria McCracken, Tusculum
Courtney Luce, Wingate
Erika Gluckstal, Wingate

COACH OF THE YEAR – Bobby McKee, Presbyterian
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – KT Rebadow, Catawba
PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Erika Bellettini, Carson-Newman
SAC SCHOLAR ATHLETE – Jobria McCracken, Tusculum

SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE SENIOR AWARDS
Lenoir-Rhyne College
Amy Westmoreland, Conicka Parker, Kindra Filson
Presbyterian College
Amanda Floyd, Elise Netzler, Taylor Lynch
Tusculum College
Gabriela Mora
Wingate University
Lauren O'Connell