HIGH POINT, N.C. – Conference Carolinas is pleased to announce that Coker’s Sydney Greenwalt has been selected as the 2011 Softball Scholar Athlete of the Year as recently voted on by the student-athlete affairs committee.  This prestigious award is presented annually to a student-athlete in each sport for recognition of their outstanding academic and athletic achievements.

Each school submits candidates that are the best of the best for the conference from their sport while meeting certain qualifications for nomination.  The qualifications include being a junior or senior student-athlete with a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or higher on a 4.0 scale in all work completed at their member institution that have played in a conference sponsored sport. The GPA is calculated based on the student-athletes cumulative average through the previous semester and each student-athlete must have attended their member institution for at least one academic year. Additionally, in order to qualify for the award the student-athlete must be a current member of the All-Conference Carolinas First, Second, or Third Team that were recently selected by head coaches from conference member institutions that nominate and then vote upon award winners.

Coker’s Greenwalt will be remembered as an integral part of Coker College’s softball program. The senior concluded her eligibility as a First Team All-Conference player, garnering All-Tournament team honors, Pitcher of the Week recognitions and leading her team to a winning season. During the 2011 campaign she played 26 games, pitched 140.2 innings, with 74 K and a 1.86 ERA. The Edwardsville, Illinois, native is an honor graduate with a 3.774 GPA and will continue her success in graduate school later this year. Greenwalt’s academic credentials are as impressive as her achievements in the playing field. She is an Academic All-America, Academic All-Conference and has received multiple awards including the 2011 Behavioral and Social Science Outstanding Student Award and the 2011 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. Her leadership attributes and commitment to excellence allowed her to hold a variety of leadership roles for her institution.

Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletic conference made up of 11 teams from North Carolina and South Carolina. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Coker College, Converse College, Erskine College, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, Mount Olive College, Pfeiffer University, Queens University of Charlotte, and St. Andrews Presbyterian College.  For the upcoming 2011-12 academic year King College (Bristol, TN) and North Greenville University (Tigerville, SC) will join as full Conference Carolinas league members.