Three SAC Women’s Basketball Players Named To Academic All-District Team

BRISTOL, Conn. - Three women's basketball players from the South Atlantic Conference have been named to the 2010 ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA College Division Academic All-District III team, it was announced Thursday.

Newberry College senior forward Anita Bulcher and Wingate University senior center Stacie Rhodes were both named to the first team, while Mars Hill College junior guard Brittini Young was named to the second team. Both Bulcher and Rhodes become eligible for Academic All-American status later this month.

The District III College Division consists of all-non NCAA Division I colleges and universities in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina and Virginia. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average and must be a starter or a significant reserve on her team. The team is voted on by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).

Anita Bulcher

Stacie Rhodes

Brittini Young

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

Anita Bulcher

Newberry's Bulcher (Russia, Ohio) was named to the District III College Division first team for the second year in a row. Bulcher, a standout student in Newberry's chemistry department, proved the importance of working hard both on the court and in the classroom in order to excel as a student athlete.

Bulcher has maintained a 3.96 GPA while averaging a double-double this season and consistently ranking in the top two in the country in rebounds per game (11.6). She also ranks highest in the South Atlantic Conference in both the offensive (93) and defensive (139) rebound categories and ranks second in the league in field goal percentage (.556).

Stacie Rhodes

Rhodes is an Accounting major with a perfect 4.00 GPA.

"Stacie Rhodes gives her best in everything she attempts," Wingate head coach Barbara Nelson says. "She is one of the finest young women I have had the opportunity to meet. Wingate University has been blessed to have her as a student-athlete for four years."

Rhodes leads the Bulldogs (12-9 overall) in rebounding (7.1 rebounds per game) and blocked shots (2.0 blocks per game). She is second in field goal percentage (52.2) and third in scoring (8.0 points per game). On the SAC charts, Rhodes is second in blocked shots and fifth in field goal percentage. Only Carson-Newman's Shari Buford has blocked more shots than Rhodes this season.

As a junior, Rhodes led the Bulldogs in rebounding (5.6 boards per game) and blocked shots (36). She participated in the 2008 NCAA Division II Leadership Academy in Naples, Fla. during the fall semester of her junior year.

In 2007-08, Rhodes averaged 4.6 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. She netted a season-high 12 points in a huge NCAA Division II regional play-off win over Augusta State University (March 15, 2008).

Rhodes and her teammates advanced to the 2008 NCAA Division II Elite Eight and earned a top 10 ranking in the season's final poll. The Bulldogs were picked to finish seventh in the preseason SAC poll. Wingate finished the season with a 26-8 record, including a 12-2 mark in league play. The Bulldogs sported a perfect 12-0 home mark.

"Stacie Rhodes is articulate, bright and mature," Nelson adds. "She enjoys the interaction she has with our faculty members (outside the classroom). Stacie is always looking for ways to stimulate her intellectual growth."

Brittini Young

Young, a junior guard from Ramseur, N.C., sports a 3.79 GPA in Business Administration. She also leads the South Atlantic Conference in scoring at 20.5 ppg.

Young surpassed the 1,000 point plateau earlier this season and is six points away from passing Lee Ann Enix for 17th on the Mars Hill women's basketball all-time scoring list.

College Division
FIRST TEAM
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Anita Bulcher Newberry (SC) Sr. Russia, Ohio 3.96 Chemistry
Maggie Davis Virginia Wesleyan Sr. Chesapeake, Va. 3.88 Mathematics
Mariesa Greene Barry Sr. Indianapolis, Ind. 3.50 Criminology
Brittany Miller Mount Olive Jr. Holly Springs, N.C. 4.00 English communications
Stacie Rhodes Wingate Sr. Knightdale, N.C. 4.00 Management

SECOND TEAM
Name School Yr. Hometown GPA Major
Amanda Billy Marymount Jr. Syracuse, N.Y. 3.64 Mathematics
Alexis Hargbol Shenandoah Sr. Manassas, Va. 3.50 Doctor of pharmacy
Dawn Sanderson Methodist Jr. Brighton, Colo. 3.90 Mathematics
Allison Sikes St. Augustine's Jr. Richmond, Va. 3.69 Psychology
Keenan Whitesides Emory Sr. Wilmington, N.C. 3.72 Neuroscience & behavior biology
Brittini Young Mars Hill Jr. Ramseur, N.C. 3.79 Business administration