Lenoir-Rhyne's Bailey, Wingate's Hadaway Named South Atlantic Conference Golf Scholar-Athletes of the Year
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Lenoir-Rhyne's Jackson Bailey was voted the South Atlantic Conference Men's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Mikaela Hadaway from Wingate earned the women's honor, the League announced today. The pair earned the honor for their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
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.
Bailey, a junior from Matthews, N.C., holds a 3.68 GPA as a finance major. He is a five-time Lenoir-Rhyne Dean's List honoree and a three-time member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.
"I am extremely proud of Jackson for being selected as the SAC Men's Golf Scholar Athlete of the Year, said Lenoir-Rhyne head men's golf coach Elliot Gealy. "He has worked extremely hard on and off the golf course and done an excellent job representing Lenoir-Rhyne University."
Bailey finished in the Top 25 in three events this season, including a pair of Top 10 finishes. His best finish of the year came at the State Farm Intercollegiate where he finished tied for fourth with a 3-under 213 at the event. At the 2017 SAC Men's Golf Championship, Bailey led all Lenoir-Rhyne players at 7-over to place 32nd overall.
Bailey has been the Lenoir-Rhyne team captain in each of the past two seasons, while earning the Bob Dibble Spirit of the Game Award this past season. Bailey has served on the Lenoir-Rhyne Student-Athlete Advisory Council during his time at LR and is currently a Resident Assistant in the Morgan Dormitory. The men's golf representative on the LR Rotary Club, he spends time in his home town as a tennis instructor and maintenance assistant at the Weddington Swim and Racquet Club.
Hadaway, from Kettering, Ohio, earns the SAC Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second-straight year after she finished her career at Wingate with a GPA of 4.0 while majoring in psychology. She has been named to the Dean's List in each of her four years at Wingate. Hadaway was a member of the Wingate Honors Program since the spring of 2014 and took classes to earn an Honors Diploma from the University. She finished her Wingate years at Wingate as a member of Psi Chi, Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Chi National Honor Societies.
"Mikaela exemplifies the term student-athlete," said Wingate head women's golf coach Erin Thorne. "She obtained a 4.0 GPA and has excelled in the classroom and on the golf course. She takes it upon herself to be a team leader and took our freshmen under her wings to make them feel comfortable as part of the team and the Wingate University Community."
Hadaway won the Inaugural South Atlantic Conference Women's Golf Elite 18 Honor this past season as she posted the highest GPA at the 2017 SAC Women's Golf Championship. A team captain, Hadaway was one of three Bulldogs to play in every even this season as she averaged a career-best 78.8 strokes per round. She earned her second-straight All-Tournament honor at the Wingate Intercollegiate in her final regular season home appearance as she shot a 79 and a 77 during the event. Her best round of the year came at the Pfeiffer Invitational with a first round score of 74. She also earned honorable mention All-South Atlantic Conference honors this past season.
She has spent time volunteering in her hometown at the Miami Valley Hospital as a nursing aide as she has completed over 450 hours. On campus, Hadaway has served has the team representative on the Wingate Student-Athlete Advisory Council in each of her four years at Wingate and was voted Co-Captain of her team this past season. She has been a member of the Pre-Physician Assistant Club during her Wingate tenure as she helped the club provide social and service opportunities for Wingate students. A member of the Chemistry Club during her freshman and sophomore years, Hadaway was one of 15 freshman selected to serve on the Wingate Student Government Association.
Other Men's Golf Nominees
Spencer Skiff, Newberry
Other Women's Golf Nominees
Natalie Kratts, Lenoir-Rhyne
Nabila Inak, Newberry