Tusculum's Talley, Corum Named SAC Golf Scholar-Athletes of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Tusculum duo of senior David Talley and senior Jillian Corum have been selected as the SAC Men's and Women's Golf Scholar-Athletes of the Year, an award which recognizes excellence in athletics, academics, service and leadership.

The SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards are presented to one male and one female student-athlete in each of the conference's 14 championship sports. The awards are voted on by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee.

Talley has been a mainstay in the Tusculum lineup during his four-year career. He won two individual tournament titles his freshman year, posted nine top-20 finishes as a sophomore and five as a junior, and currently carries a stroke average of 80.4 over 10 rounds during his senior season.

Talley is one of just eight men's golfers in TC history to win multiple tournaments, and is also in the program's all-time top 10 in rounds under-par.

In the classroom, Talley has a 3.81 GPA majoring in business administration and political science. His academic accolades have included being named a GCAA All-America Scholar and a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society, the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Tusculum President's List, the TC Dean's List, the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the TC Athletic Director's Honor Roll. He has also earned departmental honors in the Tusculum School of Business.

Talley is an active presence on campus as well, serving in leadership roles with groups that include the "Help Me Help You" small business development organization, the Bonner Leadership Program, the TC Business Club, Student Government Association, the TC Division of Business Education and Campus Crusade for Christ. In addition, he volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club, the Greeneville Nursing Home and the Salvation Army.

"David is not only academically and athletically talented, but he is a good and moral person," said Dr. Michelle Freeman, a TC accounting professor who works closely with Talley. "He has exhibited academic excellence through his intellectual abilities, his motivations and his personality in general."

Corum, meanwhile, has put together one of the top careers in Tusculum women's golf history. Her scoring averages during her first three years on campus rank second, third and ninth all-time at the school, and she is again on pace for a top-10 season as a senior. She has won a school-record five individual medals at tournaments during her career, and was an All-SAC First Team performer as a junior.

As a business administration major, Corum carries a 3.59 GPA and in 2012 was the first player in Tusculum women's golf history to be named to the Capital One Academic All-America Team. She has also been recognized as a WGCA All-America Scholar and has earned selections to the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, the TC Dean's List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.

On campus, Corum serves as president of the school's Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter and is active with the TC Business Club and the TC Development Office. She has spent time in Haiti building an orphanage and is a frequent volunteer with Young Life and the Greene County Ministerial Association Food Bank.

"Jillian's desire to achieve academic success is evident through the way she prepares for classes," said Freeman, who has worked alongside Corum as well. "She takes on each challenge with a smile and completes these tasks diligently."