Wingate's Mense and Mrochen Named 2021 SAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athletes of the Year
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate University's Tatjana Mense was voted the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while fellow Bulldog Bastian Mrochen was named the 2021 South Atlantic Conference Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office 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. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.
Mense, a junior finance major with minor in accounting, has a 3.955 grade point average and is a member of the Wingate Honors Program. She has been named to the Wingate President's List four times and is a two-time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection.
"We are very proud of Tatjana for being named Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year," said Wingate head cross country coach Pol Domenech. "She is the true definition of student-athlete as she takes both her studies and her athletic activities equally seriously. This Fall, she has been consistently one of our top scorers, and that is all due to her hard work and dedication over the last three years. Tatjana is a strong leader for our young team; we are so glad to have her with us."
On the course, Mense had an outstanding cross country season. A Bulldog team captain, Mense was a first team All-SAC selection after she finished seventh overall at the SAC Women's Cross Country Championship with a career-best 6k time of 21:59. She earned All-Region honors after placing 12th overall at the NCAA Southeast Region Championship and helped Wingate earn a second place finish as a team. She was also part of the Wingate women's team that placed fifth at the NCAA Division II National Championship, the highest finish at the national championship in program history.
A native of Bremen, Germany, Mense is an active member of her hometown and Wingate communities. She serves as a tutor for business, math, and marketing, while also serving as a supplemental instructor for political science at Wingate. She has participated in the Wingate United Way Day of Caring and she serves as a volunteer at a local nursing home in her hometown during summer and winter holidays.
Mrochen, a sophomore psychology major from Liebenau, Germany, has a perfect 4.0 GPA. He is a two-time member of the Wingate President's List and is a SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection.
"Like Tatjana, we are very proud of Bastian for being named the Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year," said Domenech. "He has been a key element of our squad since he arrived on campus in the Fall of 2020, and he has continuously shown his athletic ability all season long. Bastian is extremely disciplined with his training, his classwork, and everything else that he does. We are lucky to work with Bastian on a daily basis, and his teammates are lucky to have him as a leader and role model."
On the cross country course, Mrochen was a first team All-SAC performer and was named the SAC Freshman of the Year after finishing third at the SAC Men's Cross Country Championship with a career-best 8k time of 23:59. He helped lead the Bulldogs to the NCAA Southeast Region Championship and finished sixth overall at the regional. He also led Wingate to a sixth place finish at the NCAA Division II Men's Cross Country National Championship.
An active member of the Wingate community, he serves as a math, English, and French tutor and he has volunteered during the United Way Day of Caring.
Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Alyssa Jamerson, Mars Hill
Aubrey Stoddard, Anderson
Caroline Hilliard, Lenoir-Rhyne
Judy Chellah, Tusculum
Klara Naude, Carson-Newman
Men's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Alex Perez, Tusculum
Daniel Similton, Anderson
Kirby Logan III, Carson-Newman
- #MakeSACYours -