Lenoir-Rhyne's Jackson and Tusculum's Tomassoni Named South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for Men's and Women's Golf

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 Katie Tomassoni from Tusculum earned the women's honor, the Conference 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. Winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

Bailey, a senior from Matthews, N.C., earns the SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for Men' Golf for the second consecutive year. He holds a 3.72 GPA as a finance major and is a seven-time Lenoir-Rhyne Dean's List honoree and a four-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 for the second year in a row," said Lenoir-Rhyne head men's golf coach Elliot Gealy.  "His hard work, both on and off the course, is evident and he continues to be an excellent representative for Lenoir-Rhyne University."

Bailey posted a stroke average of 76 in 22 rounds this season. He helped lead the Bears to a win at the J. Ralph Hargett Memorial Intercollegiate and to a second-place finish at the Richard Rendleman Intercollegiate.

Bailey has been the Lenoir-Rhyne team captain for the last three seasons, and in 2017 he received the Bob Dibble "Spirit of the Game" Award. Bailey has served on the Lenoir-Rhyne Student-Athlete Advisory Council during his time at Lenoir-Rhyne and is currently a Resident Assistant in the Morgan Dormitory.  The men's golf representative on the Lenoir-Rhyne Rotary Club, he spends time in his hometown as a tennis instructor and maintenance assistant at the Weddington Swim and Racquet Club. He also served as a sales clerk at the Alan Cochrane Allstate Insurance Agency during the summer of 2017.

Tomassoni, a junior from Mason, Ohio, holds a 3.78 GPA in Sports Management at Tusculum. She is a three-time Women's Golf Coaches Association All-America Scholar, a three-time Dean's List honoree at Tusculum and a three-time member of the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She has also been named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and to the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll for each of the past three years.

"Katie is one of the most humble and hardworking student-athletes I have seen at Tusculum," said Tusculum interim head golf coach Nick Forsberg. "She has been a great ambassador for our team and does an outstanding job in balancing academics, community service and leadership, along with her athletic responsibilities.  Katie is an outstanding recipient of this prestigious award."

Tomassoni had an fantastic season on the course, posting a 77.43 stroke average, which was the second lowest on the team and the fifth-best in Tusculum women's golf history. The All-SAC Honorable Mention selection led the Pioneers with eight top-10 finishes and five top-five finishes. She earned medalist honors at the Dibble Classic, came in third at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial and finished seventh at the SAC Championship to earn SAC All-Tournament Second Team honors for the second straight year.

In addition to Tomassoni's time on the golf course and in the classroom, she has spent countless hours working in the community. She currently serves on the Tusculum Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as the Vice President; she is a volunteer at the Greeneville Animal Shelter and is a volunteer instructor with the First Tee Program at the Links Hill Country Club. She is an Adopt-A-Highway volunteer, she has participated in the Nettie Day of Service for the past three years and she has volunteered at the Old Oak Festival. Tomassoni also works with the Tusculum Theater Outreach Program and has worked in the Tusculum Athletic Communications office as part of the Sports Management Clinical Experience.

Other Men's Golf Nominees

Tim Bombosch, Wingate
Anthony Marcinelli, Carson-Newman
Jesse Vensel, Catawba
David Whinery, Tusculum 

Other Women's Golf Nominees

Taylor Hayes, Carson-Newman
Nabila Inak, Newberry
Laura Nunez Rodriguez, Wingate
Ainee O'Connor, Lenoir-Rhyne

- #makeSACyours -