ROCK HILL, S.C. - Coker College men's tennis player, Henrik Hellbe, has earned the South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award, the league announced today. Hellbe is the first Coker student-athlete to earn the award since the Cobras joined the conference back in 2012.

The highest individual honor presented annually by the South Atlantic Conference, the Presidents Award is voted on by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives and to be eligible, student-athletes must exemplify excellence in athletics, academics, and community service. Furthermore, to be nominated for this prestigious award, the individual must have been honored as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the year in one of the league's 20 sponsored sports.

Hellbe, a Marketing and Economics major with a 3.99 grade point average, is a native of Stockholm, Sweden.  During his career at Coker, Hellbe was a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete, a two-time President's List selection and a four-time Dean's List honoree.  He also was given the Department of Business Administration's Outstanding Student Award as a senior.

"I am extremely excited for Henrik winning the SAC Presidents Award," said Coker head tennis coach, Tom Simpson. "To have others recognize his enthusiasm, leadership, and excellence in his academic, athletic, and school activities is very rewarding. As the first Coker student-athlete to win this award, he has left a very positive legacy at Coker College and in the South Atlantic Conference."

On the tennis court, Hellbe earned All-SAC First Team honors for his doubles play with partner Mark Watt. The duo recorded an overall record of 12-9 at No. 1 doubles, which included an impressive 7-2 mark in conference play during the 2018 season.

Extremely active off the court in the community and beyond, Hellbe is a member of the Coker College Enactus team where he received the Service Leadership Award for 100-plus hours of service during both his sophomore and junior years. During his senior year he was awarded the Service Leadership Platinum Award for 500-plus hours of service. As part of Enactus, he helped create project #DonateDala which raised $19,900 over two years in order to help support the people of Myanmar. Thanks to #DonateDala, the Coker Enactus team traveled to Myanmar to build a water system and an aquaponics system providing citizens with fresh water and sustainable food.

Hellbe also helped create mycampusmarket.org, helping social entrepreneurs digitize their business. He was nominated as the Executive Leader of the Year for Enactus United States. Additionally, Hellbe assisted in leading the Coker Enactus team to a regional championship and a third place finish at the Enactus National Expo. 

Hellbe is the son of Lisa and Torbjorn Hellbe.