Wingate's Frail and Carson-Newman's Yoshikoshi Named SAC Men's and Women's Soccer Scholar-Athletes of the Year
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate University's Abbey Frail was voted the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while Carson-Newman University's Kensho Yoshikoshi was named the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office 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. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.
Frail, a Bulldog graduate student, has a 3.92 GPA while completing her Masters of Sports Management. A 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District selection and a 2019 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American, she graduated summa cum laude with her undergraduate degree in history in May 2019. She is a four-time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and Wingate President's List selection, and she was named the recipient of the Wingate Cannon College of Arts and Sciences Outstanding Senior in History Award.
"Abbey is our captain and leader, a real foundation of this team," Interim head coach Jack Vundum says. "She holds very high expectations of herself both on and off the field and commits to every training session she has to ensure those expectations are met. She's an integral part of the way we have built from the back this year. Honestly, Abbey has really been the start of all our attacking opportunities. For me, it's like having a coach out on the pitch.
On the field, Frail was one of the top goalkeepers in the SAC and the Southeast Region. She was named first team All-SAC and first team D2CCA All-Southeast Region, while being named second team United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region. She led the Bulldogs to the SAC tournament final and to the third round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Tournament. She posted a league leading 0.59 goals against average, was third in the conference with a .825 save percentage and was second in the SAC with nine shutouts.
A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Frail has been equally active off the soccer field, participating in the One Day, One Dog volunteer day each year, while also serving as a peer tutor for economics and political science in the Wingate Academic Resource Center. She has presented her own original research at the Wingate Well Spring Symposium and the North Carolina Political Science Association Symposium, and she has served as the head coach of the East Union Middle School Girls' Soccer team for two years.
Yoshikoshi, a senior business major from Tokyo, Japan, has a 3.89 GPA while pursuing his MBA. He is a Platinum Eagle Scholar, a SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection, and he was a 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.
"I don't think there is a more deserving candidate than Kensho as he epitomizes what you expect from a student-athlete," said Carson-Newman head men's soccer coach Stephen Lyons. "What he has achieved off the field is a testament to his hard work and perseverance. The first day he arrived on campus his English was very limited so to prove himself in the classroom and on the field at such an elite level is simply phenomenal. I am very proud of his achievement and congratulate him on setting a new level of expectation across the board for the returning players by receiving this honor."
On the soccer field, Yoshikoshi led the Eagle men's team to its tenth regular season title in 2019. He was named 2019 SAC Defensive Player of the Year, while anchoring an Eagle defense that allowed just 1.11 goals per game and collected five shut outs on the year. In addition to his stellar defense, he accounted for three goals and an assist for seven points this season. A first team All-SAC, D2CCA All-Southeast Region and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region selection, Yoshikoshi was also named SAC AstroTurf Defensive Player of the Week during the 2019 season.
An active member of the Carson-Newman community, Yoshikoshi is a member of Appalachian Outreach and he has volunteered his time to work with the Lakeway Soccer Club.
Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Ashley Hogg, Coker
Hannah Van Eerden, Lenoir-Rhyne
Daphne Heyaime, Newberry
Lulu Phan, Queens
Ellie Tomassoni, Tusculum
Men's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Finalists
Riccardo Ricci, Coker
Victor Cascon, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jeppe Christenson, Mars Hill
Eric Brody, Newberry
Pau Peiro, Tusculum
Mattia DiTommaso, Wingate
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