Tusculum's Winkelmann and Hutchinson Named South Atlantic Conference Tennis Scholar-Athletes of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Tusculum's Lukas Winkelmann was voted the South Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while the Pioneers' Kate Hutchinson 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.

Winkelmann, a senior from Böblingen, Germany, carries a 3.96 GPA as a pre-medicine major to earn his third-straight Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year honor.  He has been named to the Tusculum College President's List every year of his career, while being named to the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll in each of the past three seasons.  A two-time Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-American selection, Winkelmann has picked up Charles Oliver Gray Honor List plaudits in each year of his career.

"Lukas is one of those individuals who immerses themselves in their field of study," said Tusculum tennis head coach Tommy Arnett.  "He will be one of those people who will have a major positive impact on others he meets from every walk of life, as I feel strongly he will be a highly successful and caring dentist!"

During the 2015 season, Winkelmann became the only player in South Atlantic Conference history to earn three-straight SAC Player of the Year honors.  Winkelmann finished the season ranked No. 10 nationally in Division II singles after posting a perfect 13-0 record.  He ended his playing career on a 46-match regular-season winning streak and helped his squad rank as high as No. 43 in the nation.  Winkelmann also finished as the runner-up at the ITA NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championships.

Winkelmann has earned All-SAC honors in each season as a Pioneer and got his career started by earning SAC Freshman of the Year honors during the 2011-12 season.  Winkelmann has been named Capital One Academic All-District twice in his career and was tabbed the Tusculum College Male Athlete of the Year on three occasions to become the first student-athlete in TC history to win the award three times.  He won the South German Amateur Championship as a junior and was named the Tusculum College Men's Tennis Most Valuable Player every year he has stepped on the court for the Pioneers.

In the community, Winkelmann has served as a volunteer at a local hospital and has spent time with Project "Tennis in Schools" to promote the sport of tennis at area elementary schools.  Winkelmann assisted in caring for a local community member's horse after they were in a car accident during his sophomore season and has helped with the Tusculum Tennis Adopt-a-Family initiative to help a local family during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons.  A member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society, Winkelmann donated and delivered Christmas presents to children in the community.   

Winkelman has also stayed busy helping out on the Tusculum campus.  He served as a volunteer with the Tusculum College Haunted House as a freshman to help the TC athletic department raise money.  He has also spent time helping the Tusculum athletic department during SAC Championship events that the college has hosted.  During his senior year, Winkelmann volunteered with the Remote Area Medical Clinic hosted by Tusculum College as a dental assistant and was a member of the Biology Club and the President's Society.  Winkelmann also served as treasurer of the Alpha Chi Honor Society during his junior and senior years.

Winkelmann has been accepted to the Pennsylvania School of Medicine to continue his pursuit of becoming a dentist.

Hutchinson, a senior from Calhoun, Ga., is a pre-medicine major with a GPA of 3.80.  She has been named an ITA Scholar-Athlete three times in her career and earned South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll honors during her freshman, sophomore and junior seasons.  Hutchinson has earned Charles Oliver Gray Honors List plaudits all four years at Tusculum as well as Tusculum College Athletic Director's Honor Roll and Dean's List honors each year she has been a Pioneer.

"Kate is a true leader by example both on and off the court," said Tusculum College head coach Arnett.  "I know she will serve humanity in the role of not only as a fine medical doctor, but as a person who helps the world be a better place for us all to live in."

A 2015 Preseason All-Conference selection, Hutchinson captained the Pioneers to a national ranking of No. 31 in the nation.  She went 12-2 in singles action on the year and was 14-1 in doubles play.  She finished the 2015 campaign by winning 10 of her last 11 matches, including a winning streak of four-straight.  Hutchinson earned honorable-mention All-SAC honors during her junior year to go along with the team MVP plaudit.

Hutchinson is very active in the community as she has volunteered with Make-A-Wish and served with Rural Resources as a volunteer.  She has been involved with Habitat for Humanity, while working with Safe Harbor Homes as a service learning project volunteer.  She spent two years volunteering at the Greene County Humane Society as well as a tennis camp counselor in Georgia and Tennessee.

This past season, Hutchinson was named the secretary of the Tusculum College Alpha Chi National Honors Society and the TC Science Club.  She has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council for the past three years and was nominated to the Tusculum College Presidents Society during her junior and senior years.  Hutchinson also served as a member of the Tusculum Student Government Judicial Board this past year. 

Other Men's Tennis Nominees
Juan Carracedo, Anderson
Rory Northam, Brevard
Garrett Duron, Carson-Newman
Fernando Espana, Newberry
Filippo Pezzoli, Wingate