Wingate’s Green, Lincoln Memorial’s Wells Earn Degree-Completion Scholarships

Indianapolis, Ind. -- Two former student-athletes from South Atlantic Conference member schools have recently been awarded NCAA Division II Degree-Completion Scholarship Award for the 2007-08 academic year. Ashley Green, a former softball player at Wingate University, and Kai Wells, a former men's basketball player at Lincoln Memorial University, were among 89 recipients nationwide.

To be eligible for the NCAA Division II Degree-Completion Scholarship Award, the successful student-athletes must be within 30 semester hours of completing their undergraduate degree and have at least a 2.50 cumulative grade point average.

Ashley Green, Wingate

A physical education major, Green (Charleston, S.C.) carries a solid 3.73 GPA. She was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III softball second team two years in a row. In the circle, she holds school records in four single-season and two career categories. Green tallied 69 career wins for the Bulldogs.

"I am incredibly happy to receive the NCAA Division II Degree-Completion Scholarship Award," Green said in a recent phone interview. "There is no doubt this (scholarship) takes away the stress and worry about how I will pay for my education."

Green plans to go to Physical Therapy school after completing her degree requirements at Wingate. She hopes to enroll in a doctoral program. Green counts many good memories from her time as a Bulldog student-athlete.

"Winning the (2006) conference championship is a big highlight," Green beamed. "The new field house is a great addition to Wingate softball. I certainly enjoyed many great moments with my teammates throughout my career."

In her senior season, Green ranked among the NCAA leaders in wins. She ended the 2007 season with 29 victories, which ranked her eighth in the final NCAA Division II statistical standings.

Green earned 2007 Food Lion SAC All-Tournament honors for the second consecutive season. She was 4-2 overall with a 1.42 ERA and one shutout in the 2007 tournament, leading the Bulldogs to the finals for the second year in a row.

For the 2007 campaign, Green was 29-15 overall with a 2.21 ERA. She started 42 games and tossed 33 complete games. In 275 1/3 innings, she posted the following statistics ledger: 231 strikeouts, 76 walks and six shutouts. She held her opponents to a .225 batting average in 2007.

In 2006, Green had a 1.51 ERA in 195 1/3 innings, 176 strikeouts, eight shutouts and held opponents to a .203 batting average. Green tied the school record for wins in a season with 27. She broke her own record in 2007.

A two-time All-SAC performer, Green was honored as the 2006 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament MVP for her performance leading Wingate to the title. Also, Green and her Bulldog teammates won two games in the 2006 NCAA Division II South Atlantic Regional tourney.

Her 2006 postseason ERA was 1.24 with 44 strikeouts. Green held opponents to a .171 postseason batting average in 2006. Green made eight starts in the 2006 postseason and tossed two shutouts.

Kai Wells, Lincoln Memorial

HARROGATE, TN - Lincoln Memorial University's Kai Wells, a senior on the 2006-07 basketball squad was recently awarded an NCAA Division II Degree Completion Scholarship for the 2007-08 academic year. Wells joins Wingate University's Ashley Green as the only to South Atlantic Conference athletes to receive the award.

The scholarship was given to 89 NCAA Division II student-athletes who were within 30 semester hours of completing their undergraduate degrees and have a minimum grade point average of 2.50.

Although Wells, a Memphis, Tennessee native has exhausted his athletic eligibility, the scholarship from the NCAA will allow him to return to Lincoln Memorial University in late August to earn his undergraduate degree in Kinesiology.

Last season as a starter on the Railsplitter basketball team, Wells led the team in assists, handing out 113 in 28 games for an average of 4.03 per game. He and the Railsplitters finished the season with an overall record of 13-15 and were eliminated from post-season play in the first round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.