ROCK HILL, SC – A pair of cross country runners who excel in the classroom as well as on the course have been selected as the 2005 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athletes for men’s and women’s cross country.

Mars Hill junior Jonathan Paul Stoehr is the 2005 SAC Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. Photo courtesy Tusculum College

Mars Hill junior Jonathan Paul Stoehr, a two-time All-Conference first team runner, and Mars Hill senior Rachel Retallick, an All-Conference runner, were selected as the 2005 recipients. Retallick wins the award for the third year in a row.

Stoehr, from Antigo, Wisconsin, carries a 3.90 GPA as a sports management major. He was named to the All-Academic Team by the DII Cross Country, Track and Field Coaches Association last year and is in the Honor Scholar program at Mars Hill and receives the Trustee Scholarship.

He earned First Team All-Conference honors his first two seasons, including being named Freshman of the Year in 2003. He was named All-Region in 2004. This season, he was named Runner of the Week on September 19 after he finished third overall out of 112 runners in the Wingate Invitational and was the first finisher from the South Atlantic Conference. He possesses the second-fastest time this year among SAC runners and third-fastest in the Southeast Region. He is also an accomplished Track and Field runner and broke the Mars Hill 5000 meter indoor record.

Mars Hill senior Rachel Retallick is the 2005 SAC Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete. Photo courtesy Tusculum College

In the community, Stoehr is a role model for the DARE program and participated in Community Health Service Foundation projects and has been a volunteer track and cross country coach for Special Olympics. He serves as treasurer for the Student Government Association executive board. He is a musician in his church band, which visits local hospitals and nursing homes. He also served on a mission trip to Tijuana, Mexico.

Retallick wins the award for the third year in a row. She is in her fourth season as a runner and carries a 3.95 GPA as a biology and chemistry major with a minor in Pre-Med. She is a two-time member of the All-Academic Team by the DII Cross Country, Track and Field Coaches Association, and has been honored by Who’s Who Among American College Students as well as the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She receives the Grayson Scholarship at Mars Hill, its most prestigious honor.

She is a three-time All-Conference selection, and twice was name All-Region. She was named SAC Runner of the Week twice this season.

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, Manna Food Bank and as a swimming instructor for the Special Olympics swim team. She also volunteers at St. Mission Joseph’s Hospital and the local Boy Scouts, as well as working with high school students with learning disabilities.

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.