Tusculum’s Gunn, Wingate’s Atkinson Named Honorable Mention All-Americans By WBCA

ATLANTA - Two SAC women's basketball players have been named honorable mentions to the 2009 WBCA Division II State Farm All-American Team, it was announced Tuesday. Tusculum College's Jasmine Gunn and Wingate University's Anna Atkinson received these honors.

Gunn, a sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., is a two-time All-South Atlantic Conference First Team selection and led the Pioneers in points (15.5), assists (5.8), steals (2.0), and free throw percentage (82 percent) as TC captured its second consecutive SAC title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. The 2007-08 SAC Freshman of the Year has built an impressive resume in just two seasons with the Pioneers, dishing out 370 assists thus far in her career at Tusculum to move into fifth on the program's all-time list. Gunn is the second women's basketball player in Tusculum history to receive All-America honors.

Jasmine Gunn

Anna Atkinson

Atkinson (Marion, N.C.), a four-year starting point guard for the Bulldogs, led the SAC in assists per game (6.6), steals per game (3.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.5) this year. She is ranked first in the NCAA Division II national rankings in assist-to turnover ratio and fourth in assists per game. Atkinson set the SAC career steals record Saturday, Feb. 28, 2009. A four-year All-SAC performer, Atkinson averaged a career-best 16.3 points per game her senior year. The 2009 South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, Atkinson is one of the most decorated student-athletes in league history. A two-time SAC Player of the Year, she was also selected the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner for the third consecutive year.

A two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® first team selection (college division), Atkinson is a Biology major with pre-dental specialization. She sports a perfect 4.00 GPA. Atkinson hopes to attend dental school in the future. Also, Atkinson was named one of two recipients of the 2009 WBCA Scholarship Award this month. This scholarship is presented annually to two women's basketball players in any of the five WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA and Junior College/Community College) who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to the sport of women's basketball and to academic excellence. She was the recipient of the 2008-09 SAC Athlete of the Year and Presidents Award, and the 2009 national Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association.