THIS IS THE ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE  

For more than 30 years the Atlantic Sun Conference has stood for achievement with     integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas with a focus on the balance between the two for its student-athletes. The A-Sun boasts a blend of the most dynamic and prestigious private and public institutions in the region, with all committed to the conference goal of Building Winners for Life.

The experience for a student-athlete in the A-Sun is supported by the entire university community, from coaches to faculty, and from the CEO’s to the athletic and academic support staff. Atlantic Sun student-athletes compete in outstanding facilities throughout the conference and in some of top markets in the Southeast. Eight A-Sun schools compete in the top 10 media markets within the conference’s five-state footprint. With All-America selections, National All-Academic honorees, teams and individuals qualifying for and advancing in NCAA Championship play, Atlantic Sun student-athletes achieve at the highest levels of collegiate athletics.

ACADEMIC SUCCESS

For the second straight year, all 11 institutions placed at least 50 percent of its student-athletes on the All-Academic Team. The membership also established a new overall record of 59 percent of all student-athletes earning All-Academic status during the 2007-08 academic year.

Continuing a tradition of academic achievement, more than 57 percent of all student-athletes earned All-Academic status during the 2008-09 academic year. Fifteen student-athletes earned places on the 2008-09 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Teams. Belmont led the impressive institutional totals in the race for the All-Academic Trophy for the seventh time in eight years with 66.5 percent of its the student-athletes achieving All-Academic status with grade point averages of a 3.00, or better.

Belmont senior Andy Wicke, Jacksonville senior Jeremy Gillan, Lipscomb junior Kellie Sirus and Campbell senior Karlie Love earned spots on CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America teams. Lipscomb’s men and women track and field teams and the women’s cross country team ranked among the top 10 GPAs in NCAA Division I, in being recognized as All-Academic Scholar Teams from the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. The Belmont men’s cross country team posted the fifth-highest GPA, according to the USTFCCCA.

Wicke, one of the Bruins’ most celebrated student-athletes, shared the conference’s male Scholar Athlete of the Year award and earned the conference’s Postgraduate Scholarship. Mercer’s Chereese Rowe earned the conference’s second Postgraduate Scholarship. Wicke earned national acclaim as he became one of just two men’s basketball players to receive an educational grant through the NCAA postgraduate scholarship program. For his dedicated academic success and community service, Wicke landed on the Lowe’s All-Senior All-America Second Team and was one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award.

ATHLETIC SUCCESS

For the second straight season, the A-Sun made early headlines on the hardwood as Mercer, under new head coach Bob Hoffman, went on the road and defeated Alabama and Auburn within a four-day span, shooting the Bears up to the top spot in the RPI. At the General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Championship, ETSU ended Belmont’s three-year reign, winning its first A-Sun Tournament title and making the NCAA field for the eighth time. During the Championship, Courtney Pigram became just the second player in league history to reach the 2000-point plateau. Two players could reach that mark this season in Mercer’s James Florence and Campbell’s Jonathan Rodriguez. Florence and Campbell begin the season as the second- and third-highest active scorers in the nation.

During the baseball season, three A-Sun hurlers, Lipscomb’s Rex Brothers and Kennesaw State’s duo of Chad Jenkins and Kyle Heckathorn moved up the draft boards of Major League teams with every dominating performance. Brothers turned in one of the league’s top single-season strikeout performances; Jenkins posted a 41-inning scoreless streak and Heckathorn capped his season with a dominating 15-strikeout performance against UNF, earning National Player of the Week honors. On draft night, Jenkins became just the seventh A-Sun player to be a first-round selection, going to the Blue Jays. In the supplemental phase of the first round, the Rockies picked Rex Brothers and the Brewers tabbed Heckathorn.

In softball, the conference turned in one of its finest seasons in history, especially during the non-conference season. Against out-of-conference opposition, A-Sun schools posted a .602 win percentage, the fifth-highest in the nation, trailing only the SEC, Pac-10, ACC and Big 12. Five schools finished with win percentages better than .600 and FGCU and Mercer reached the 40-win mark. The Eagles established a league record for win percentage at .839 in posting a 47-9 record. For the second-consecutive May, Campbell emerged victorious at the A-Sun Championship, led by the dominating performance of MVP Brittany Stanley. She pitched all 31 innings, recorded two shutouts and struck out 26 against only two walks.

One of the most dominating athletes in Atlantic Sun history closed out her career in Jacksonville’s Natasha Harvey. She led the Dolphins team titles in both Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field for a fourth-straight year and won the inaugural MVP honors at both meets as well as the Most Outstanding Field Performer award. During her four years, she won a combined 18 individual events, five Most Outstanding Performer awards, both Most Outstanding Freshman performers in addition to the two MVP honors. Off the track, she won the A-Sun’s Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, was the A-Sun’s nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award and appeared on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic team for a fourth-straight year.

The 2009-10 athletic year promises to be an exciting one for the Atlantic Sun as UNF and Kennesaw State earned full Division-I status and will be eligible for all postseason tournaments. FGCU’s champion volleyball and baseball programs and USC Upstate’s soccer and softball programs have also gained access to A-Sun and NCAA postseason play. For the first time in league history, Mercer and it’s University Center will play host to the General Shale Brick Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. The Baseball Championship leaves Florida for the first time in 16 years for Nashville, Tenn. and Lipscomb’s Dugan Field. FGCU landed its first championship, and will host volleyball in November. These new additions and venues make the upcoming year a hotly anticipated season for the Atlantic Sun.