HARTSVILLE, S.C. –Coker College men's track & field runner, Dylan Bates, has been named the 2015 SAC Men's Track & Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the confernce announced today. 

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports, and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. 

A Co-Captain of the 2015 Coker Track & Field Squad, Bates notched three top-three finishes on the year. He placed first in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Wingate Invitational and placed second in the event at the Palmetto Classic. He earned honorable mention All-SAC honors with a third-place finish in the steeplechase at the 2015 South Atlantic Conference Track & Field Championship.

Bates, a senior from Scarborough, Ontario, carries a 4.0 GPA as a mathematics and computer science double major. He has been named to the Coker College Dean's List every semester and was twice named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Bates earned USTFCCCA Division II All-Academic honors and placed second in the Student Research Competition at the SPLASH Conference in Portland, Oregon during his junior and senior years.

In the community Bates is involved in with several organizations.  He has spent time volunteering with the Habitat for Humanity ReStore as well as the United Way.  Bates has also volunteered with the Darlington County Animal Adoption Center and has also spent time working with the Wesley Methodist Church Pumpkin Drive.  Bates also helped out at a local high school as a proctor for a Java and Robotics Engineering class.

On campus, Bates serves as an academic advisor for his residence hall where he organizes weekly study halls and monthly programs focused on study tips.  He also assists students on campus with computer related issues and has helped with the Coker College K9 5K each of his four years as a Cobra.  Additionally, Bates completed a Dean Commendation Project as he built a 3D printer and learned software to design and print a variety of mathematical 3D surfaces.   A Junior Marshall, Bates conducted research using data mining to analyze GPA and grades to create placement tests.

The president of the Computer Science and Math Club, Bates founded and serves as the treasurer of the Astronomy Club.

Dylan is the son of Michael and Barbara Bates.