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6/9/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL
Wicke, Axelsson Named Student-Athletes of the Year
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MACON, Ga. - Belmont basketball captain, Andy Wicke and Jacksonville men's soccer star Anton Axelsson added another honor to their résumés as they were awarded Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday.
"We are extremely proud of the student-athletes that participate in the A-Sun, and these two represent all that we value in the Atlantic Sun Conference," said Commissioner Ted Gumbart. "Both nominees share a dedication to their team, to their academics, and to the community. They have distinguished themselves nationally among an outstanding A-Sun class and we wish them the very best in all their future pursuits. Andy and Anton deserve our thanks for doing their part in the A-Sun’s commitment to Building Winners for Life."
Wicke becomes the fourth Belmont basketball player to earn the honor. He follows two-time winners Justin Hare and Adam Mark, as well as 2001-02 honoree Wes Burtner. He adds his name to the list of A-Sun male basketball players to be named Student-Athlete of the Year. Along with the fellow Bruins, Mercer's Will Emerson completes the list.
Axelsson becomes Jacksonville's first male athlete to be named SAOY and the second soccer player after FAU's Andreas Jansson earned the honor in 1998. In the contest for the female Student-Athlete of the Year award, fellow Dolphin Natasha Harvey matched Axelsson as the first JU woman to receive that honor.
Wicke, an environmental studies major, posted a 3.74 GPA and earned a spot on the Dean’s List. The 6-2 shooting guard garnered the 2009 Belmont University Presidential Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor, awarded to a student-athlete on behalf of Belmont President Dr. Robert C. Fischer. The five-time Atlantic Sun Coneference All-Academic honoree will attend the University of Louisville Dental School in the fall.
In earning a 2009 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, Wicke became one of only two NCAA Division-I men's basketball players chosen to receive such a scholarship. He also notched spots on several academic teams including 2009 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award All-America Team, 2009 NACDA Division I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team, 2009 CoSIDA ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team and All-America Third Team.
On the court, the Hendersonville, Tenn., native led the Bruins to four postseason appearances including three NCAA tournaments. He finished ranking second in the A-Sun in made three-point field goals with 303 and sixth on Belmont's NCAA era scoring list with 1,236 points. In 2009, he established a new Belmont single-season record for minutes played (1,056) and steals (70).
When he was not playing basketball, Wicke tutored area high school students in math and volunteered at Harris-Hillman School for Special Needs. As an active member of the Belmont chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), he helped build a self-sustaining garden in east Nashville. Wicke has been a part of Belmont Athletics' sports evangelism mission trips to Ukraine, Venezuela, Brazil and South Africa where student-athletes share basketball and their personal faith with thousands of underprivileged locals.
Axelsson graduated summa cum laude in May 2009 with a cumulative GPA of 3.991. The psychology and philosophy major won JU's 2009 College Arts & Sciences Student of the Year, the 2009 Fred B. Noble, Jr., Gold Medal for Scholarship, given to the graduate with the highest GPA, and won Outstanding Psychology Major Student of the Year. Along with those honors he added 2008 and 2009 College of Arts & Science Outstanding Philosophy Student of the Year and 2008 Humanities Division Student of the Year.
The senior was a part of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Psi Chi National Pyschology Honor Society. He earned the Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship for Excellence in the College of Arts & Sciences and earned JU's Athletics Academic Excellence award in 2008. He garnered A-Sun All-Academic from 2005-07 and Axelsson made the dean's list all eight semesters at JU and the President's List (4.0) seven semesters. Specifically for soccer he earned 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic Player of the Year and first team academic All-America. He was also landed spots on the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America First team and All-Regional second team.
Off of the pitch, he took part in Jacksonville's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and held a role as a teaching assistant. Axelsson served as president of the Philosophy Club from 2007-09 and as president Phi Sigma Tau National Philosophy Honor Society during his last year at Jacksonville. He took part in the Psychology Club as well during his time as a Dolphin.
While on the soccer field, the forward earned 2007 A-Sun Player of the Year, an All-Tournament team spot and A-Sun First Team All-Conference honors. That year Axelsson captained the Dolphins to a regular-season title for the first time in program history. Earning All-Atlantic Sun Second Team honors in both 2005 and 2006, he added an All-Tournament team selection in 2006. The Vaxjo, Sweden, native recorded 33 goals and 16 assists, and only missed one game throughout his Jacksonville career.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
