Wingate’s Brezovec, Tusculum’s Black Named SAC Presidents Award Winners

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Wingate University senior volleyball standout Rebecca Brezovec and Tusculum College senior kicker Glen Black have been named the 2006-07 recipients of the South Atlantic Conference Presidents Awards.

The honor was announced Thursday at the South Atlantic Conference summer meetings held at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville, N.C. The SAC Presidents Award is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes in the conference as chosen by the Faculty Athletic Representatives of each member institution at the end of each academic year.

Nominees for the SAC Presidents Award include the SAC Scholar Athlete recipients from the sports year, representing all 14 sponsored sports by the conference. Nominees exemplify the finest combined qualities of athletic and academic ability. A minimum GPA of 3.30 is required and nominees must hold at least junior status. Nominees must also possess and exhibit outstanding character and qualities which are in keeping with the most prestigious student-athlete recognition within the league.

Rebecca Brezovec

Brezovec (Durham, N.C.) wins the award for the second year in a row, becoming the fifth person in conference history, and second woman, to win the award two times.

She was the 2006 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year. She is a two-time All-SAC middle blocker. Brezovec won the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award for volleyball for the second time in 2006. The SAC Scholar-Athlete Award is a prestigious honor given to only one student-athlete in each of the league's 14 sports.

Brezovec and her Wingate senior teammates qualified for the NCAA Division II play-offs three times during their four-year careers. Brezovec was the only representative from the South Atlantic Conference to earn DAKTRONICS Volleyball All-South Region laurels in 2006. She was named second team All-South Region as a senior and a junior.

Brezovec was a headliner on the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® volleyball first team (College Division), as selected by CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). Brezovec earned ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® volleyball first team honors for the second year in a row in 2006.

Wingate University senior volleyball player Rebecca Brezovec was named the SAC Presidents Award recipient for the second year in a row.

She was voted Academic All-America® of the Year in volleyball for the College Division following the 2006 season. Only one student-athlete is selected Academic All-America® of the Year in each sport. She is the second Wingate student-athlete to earn Academic All-America® of the Year honors. Bulldog women's tennis standout Jenna Calomeris was the Academic All-America® of the Year for the At-Large program in 2002.

At Wingate University's 2007 athletic awards ceremony, Brezovec received two major awards. She shared the Joyce Gragg Pipes Award for Female Athlete of the Year with senior basketball standout Tanetra Barrett (Marshville, N.C.). In addition, Brezovec and senior soccer defender Heather Schlick (Prior Lake, Minn.) earned the C.B. and Beadie Haskins Scholarship Award, presented to the Wingate University senior student-athlete with the highest grade point average.

During the University's 2007 Commencement Exercises on Saturday, May 12, Brezovec garnered two awards. She was presented the C. C. Burris Award, given annually to the graduating senior woman who represents the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service. In addition, Brezovec, Schlick and three classmates earned the H.K. Helms Award, presented annually to the graduating Wingate senior achieving the highest scholastic average. The Riverside High School product graduated summa cum laude with a 4.00 GPA as a Sociology major.

In addition, Brezovec earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship this spring. The NCAA postgraduate scholarship is a one-time grant of $7,500 that is awarded for fall sports, winter sports and spring sports every year. In each of the three seasons there are 29 scholarships available for men and 29 scholarships available for women. The scholarships are one-time, non-renewable grants. Brezovec will be continuing her education at her alma mater as a graduate student.

Brezovec was also selected the South Atlantic Conference representative for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. The NCAA Woman of the Year award honors senior student-athletes for their cumulative collegiate achievements in service, leadership, athletics and academics.

Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a private four-year co-educational institution offering students active learning opportunities through personalized instruction, faith nurturing, career development, community service and study abroad.

Wingate offers more than 37 undergraduate majors in arts and sciences, business, education, fine arts, music and sport sciences. It also offers pre-professional programs and graduate degrees in business, education, physical education and sport administration. In the spring of 2007, Wingate University awarded its first-ever doctor of pharmacy degrees. Bulldog student-athletes compete in 17 NCAA Division II sports.

Glen Black

Black, a native of Bristol, Tenn., becomes the second student-athlete in Tusculum history to earn this prestigious honor. Former Tusculum women's basketball standout Julie Maples earned the SAC Presidents Award in 2004-05. Black also becomes only the second football player in the 19-year history of this award. Presbyterian College's David Nelson was the first gridiron standout to earn the honor in 1990-91.

He was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Football Second Team last fall, becoming the first player in the program's history to earn Academic All-America® distinction.

Black graduated this past fall with a 3.82 cumulative grade point average, while earning a degree in Accounting. He was also named the SAC Scholar Athlete for football the last two seasons (2005 & 2006).

Black enjoyed a solid season on the gridiron leading the Pioneers in scoring with 43 points. The Tennessee High School graduate went 22-of-24 on extra points and 7-of-11 on field goals earning All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team honors. Black was named the SAC Special Teams Player of the Week twice during his career, including once in 2006.

The Tennessee High School graduate is ranked second in Tusculum history with 111 career points (kicking) and is the all-time leader in extra points (69) and extra point attempts (77).

Black was a campus leader, serving as vice president of student government association. He led weekly Bible studies with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes as well as worked with a local church to develop a Tusculum Baptist College Night. He volunteered with numerous community service projects through Nettie Day at Tusculum College and through church activities.

Tusculum College senior kicker Glen Black was named the 2006-07 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award winner.

He was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First Team last fall and was tabbed to the 2006 American Football Coaches Association of America Good Works Team which recognizes community service, along with athletic and academic achievement. He was one of only 22 collegiate football players in the country to earn this prestigious honor.