Tusculum’s Kyle Moore, Jasmine Gunn Named SAC Athletes Of The Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. - A pair of All-American basketball players have been named the 2009-10 South Atlantic Conference Male and Female Athletes of the Year following a vote of the league's Directors of Athletics, the conference office announced today.

Tusculum College guard Kyle Moore, who set a conference record with 117 3-point field goals, was named Male Athlete of the Year, and Tusculum guard Jasmine Gunn, who helped guide the Pioneers to the Elite Eight, was named the Female Athlete of the Year.

Moore, a 6-3 senior guard from Gainesville, Fla. (Buchholz High School), was named the 2010 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year for a second straight season as he led the league in scoring for the second straight year. He averaged 24.8 points per game, which was third in NCAA Division II and fifth nationally for all NCAA divisions. Moore's scoring average was the second highest in league history and fifth in school history.

He was named to the Division II Basketball Bulletin All-America third team and the Daktronics All-America second team. He was also named to the Daktronics NCAA II All-Southeast Region First Team and the NABC All-District First Team accolades.

Moore accounted for 693 points this season, while leading the Pioneers to a 16-12 record and a 10-6 in league mark to finish second in the conference standings for a second straight season. His point tally this year ranks third in the conference record book.

Kyle Moore

Jasmine Gunn

Moore played in the NCAA II All-Star Game, where he garnered co-most valuable player honors, while leading the West All-Stars to a 131-125 overtime victory at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. In the All-Star Game, Moore poured in 21 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor, including 5-of-8 from three-point territory. He also dished out five assists and recorded a pair of blocked shots.

The three-time All-SAC selection established a new school and SAC record with his 117 three-point field goals made this season. His 4.18 treys per game average were second in the country. He shot 45.3 percent from beyond the arc, which was second in the SAC and ninth in Division II.

In just 87 games in a Pioneer uniform, Moore connected on 306 career three-point field goals, which are the most in conference history.

Gunn, a junior from Nashville, Tenn. (Antioch HS) was named the SAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year after leading the Pioneers to the women's Elite Eight. She was named to three All-America teams, including WBCA, Daktronics and DII Basketball Bulletin. She was the Southeast Region Player of the Year by Daktronics and was named the MVP of the Food Lion SAC Tournament and the NCAA DII Southeast Region tournament.

Gunn put her talents on display during Tusculum's magical postseason run, averaging 26.7 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in the seven-game span to finish the season with 713 points, the third-highest single-season total in school and conference history.

She turned in one of the most impressive performances of her career on March 13 against No. 20 Francis Marion, pouring in a South Atlantic Conference-record 45 points on 11-of-15 shooting, while setting a pair of NCAA Tournament marks with 23 free throws made and 29 free throws attempted.

Gunn also established a program- and SAC-record with 216 free throws made this season. She also is currently on the SAC's all-time list with 528 career assists.

The conference Athlete of the Year is selected by the league's Director of Athletics from student-athletes who were selected Player of the Year in their respective sport. Criteria for the award include outstanding athletic performance in one or more sports, with additional emphasis on the impact of that performance on both the SAC and the NCAA.

This is the fourth time in conference history that one school has swept the Male and Female Athlete of the Year. Tusculum also did it in 2004.

The South Atlantic Conference currently has nine member institutions: Brevard College, Brevard, N.C.; Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City, Tenn.; Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.; Lenoir-Rhyne College, Hickory, N.C.; Lincoln Memorial University, Harrogate, TN; Mars Hill College, Mars Hill, N.C.; Newberry College, Newberry, S.C.; Tusculum College, Greeneville, Tenn.; and Wingate University, Wingate, N.C. On July 1, Anderson University in Anderson, S.C., will become the league's 10th member.

SAC Athlete of the Year
2009-10: Kyle Moore, Basketball, Tusculum (M); Jasmine Gunn, Basketball, Tusculum (W)
2008-09: Corey Russell, Football, Tusculum (M); Melissa Powers, Volleyball, Catawba (W)
2007-08: Sean Barnette, Basketball, Wingate (M); Anna Atkinson, Basketball, Wingate (W)
2006-07: Sean Barnette, Basketball, Wingate (M); Rebecca Angus, Soccer, Carson-Newman (F)
2005-06: Walt Baxley, Basketball, Mars Hill (M); Paige Haverty, Golf, Catawba (F)
2004-05: Roman Davis, Basketball, Lenoir-Rhyne (M); Rebecca Angus, Soccer, Carson-Newman (F)
2003-04: Ricardo Colclough, Football, Tusculum (M); Lesley Murray, Tennis, Tusculum (F)
2002-03: Guy O'Connell, Baseball, Tusculum (M); Marci Mitchell, Softball, Carson-Newman (F)
2001-02: Todd Cunningham, Football, Presbyterian (M); Denise Shelton, Basketball, Mars Hill (F)
2000-01: Daniel Willis, Men's Basketball, Lenoir-Rhyne (M); Rachel Sloan, Basketball, Presbyterian (F)
1999-2000: Brandon Hughes, Basketball, Newberry (M); Traci Hyman, Softball, Lenoir-Rhyne (F)
1998-99: Marvin Moore, Basketball, Catawba (M); Rachel Sloan, Basketball, Presbyterian (F)
1997-98: Clay Hall, Baseball, Presbyterian (M); Kimberly Hampton, Tennis, Presbyterian (F)
1996-97: Mike Clowney, Football, Carson-Newman (M); Elizabeth Roe, Soccer, Presbyterian (F)
1995-96: Danny Colangelo, Tennis, Elon (M); Heather Randolph, Softball, Carson-Newman (F)
1994-95: Darren Hayes, Baseball, Wingate (M); Heather Randolph, Softball, Carson-Newman (F)
1993-94: Cedric Mansell, Basketball, Mars Hill (M); Tonya Roper, Basketball, Wingate (F)
1992-93: Peter Lindstrom, Tennis, Elon (M); Amy Peters, Volleyball/Basketball, Catawba (F)