Carson-Newman's Northcutt and Wingate's Strickland Receive South Atlantic Conference BMI Postgraduate Scholarships
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference announced on Tuesday (May 19) that Carson-Newman's Mary Northcutt and Wingate's Andrew Strickland will be the inaugural recipients of the Bob McCloskey Insurance (BMI) Postgraduate Scholarships.
"We are very excited to award postgraduate scholarships to these amazing individuals and allow them to further their education," said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. "We are honored to be able to reward the hard work and dedication that these student-athletes have put in on the field and court, as well as in the classroom."
"We are honored to be able to help support the student-athletes of the South Atlantic Conference," Peter Ginnegar, Senior Vice President of BMI stated. "We know that the cost of higher education can be difficult to manage, but we hope these scholarships will allow these deserving student-athletes the opportunity to complete their degrees."
Northcutt, a senior swimmer from Huntsville, Ala., represents the SAC on the NCAA Division II National Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. During her final season of collegiate competition, Northcutt qualified for the NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving National Championship as an individual and as part of the Eagle 200-yard medley relay team. She earned All-American honors and was a two-time Blue Mountain Conference Swimmer of the Week.
According to Northcutt, "I am really honored to be receiving the SAC postgraduate scholarship. The South Atlantic Conference and Carson-Newman have both given me so much as a student-athlete, and I hope to make them proud as I move into this new phase of life at Physical Therapy school.
An exercise science major with a medical emphasis and a psychology minor, Northcutt completed her course work with a perfect 4.0 GPA. She will attend the University of Tennessee Chattanooga where she will complete the Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
"I cannot think of anyone more deserving," said Carson-Newman swimming head coach Jordan Taylor. "She possesses everything a coach could ask for in a student-athlete. She is hard-working, driven, teachable, motivated, committed, polite, punctual, team orientated, and the list goes on. She has achieved so much over the last four years both in and out of the water, she has raised the bar for this program. The team and I will miss her so much as she moves onto a new chapter in her life, but we will continue to be there cheering her on and supporting her as she tackles physical therapy school. I am delighted that she has been selected for this honor!"
Strickland, a senior from Raleigh, N.C., earned CoSIDA Academic All-American honors and was a second team AFCA All-American, making him one of only three NCAA Division II football players to earn academic and athletic All-American honors. He started every game at right tackle for the Bulldogs posting 63 knockdowns, while earning D2CCA All-Region and SAC All-Conference honors.
"First I want to say I am honored to have been the Wingate nominee, and I am honored to receive this scholarship," said Strickland. "I could never have gotten this far without God, my professors, coaches, teammates, and family. I am simply a reflection of an incredible University that made this possible."
An accounting major, Strickland holds a 3.795 GPA. Upon graduation, he plans on attending Wingate University where he will pursue a Master of Accounting degree.
"This is a well-deserved honor for Andrew that is a direct result of his focus and work ethic," said Wingate head football coach Joe Reich. "We are looking forward to his leadership again this season."
The BMI postgraduate scholarships are awarded to SAC student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and have completed their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Both Northcutt and Strickland will receive a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of $2,000 toward the graduate school of their choice.
-#MakeSACYours-