Carson-Newman's Wade and Lincoln Memorial's Terry Named South Atlantic Conference Athletes of the Year for 2017-18

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The South Atlantic Conference has named Carson-Newman's Lauren Wade and Lincoln Memorial's Emanuel Terry as the 2017-18 South Atlantic Conference Athletes of the Year, the League announced today. The Athletes of the Year are selected by a vote of the Conference's Athletic Directors.

Wade, a senior from Coleraine, Northern Ireland, earns her second consecutive SAC Female Athlete of the Year honor. She was named SAC women's soccer Player of the Year, was Southeast Region Player of the Year and was a consensus First Team All-American in 2017. She was named the United Soccer Coaches Women's Soccer Scholar Player of the Year for Division II and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team. In all, Wade earned 13 post-season honors during the 2017-18 season, making her the most decorated women's soccer player in Carson-Newman history. She scored 18 goals this season, seven of which were game-winners, with 13 assists for 49 points, which was good enough for third in the nation. She finished her illustrious career as an Eagle with numerous records, including assists per game (.60), shots per game (6.20) and shots on goal per game (3.35). This year's 81 shots on goal also stand as a single-season record. She is third all-time in assists at Carson-Newman with 24, and goals with 38. In just two seasons with the Eagles she recorded 100 points.

Behind Wade's leadership the Eagles won the SAC regular season and conference tournament championships. They also advanced to the NCAA Division II National Finals, where they lost a heartbreaking match to Central Missouri 2-1 in overtime. The Eagles finished the season with a record of 21-1-1, earning the most wins in program history. 

Terry, a senior from Enterprise, Ala., became the most decorated player in Lincoln Memorial men's basketball history, earning SAC men's basketball Player of Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was named D2CCA Southeast Region Player of the Year and was named the 2017-18 Bevo Francis Award winner, which is given annually to the best player competing outside of NCAA Division I; including Division II, Division III, NAIA and junior college. Terry was a consensus All-American, was a NABC All-Southeast Region first team selection and was named to SAC and Southeast Region All-Tournament teams. He racked up 16.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game this season, while shooting 71.1 percent from the floor, which was the second-best shooting percentage in the nation. He also shot 70 percent from the free throw line and led the SAC in double-doubles with 16. He scored at least 20 points in 12 contests, pulled down at least 12 rebounds in 11 games and record three or more blocks in 13 games.

Terry helped lead the Railsplitters to a record 32-2 during the 2017-18 season. They won their sixth straight SAC regular season title and their fourth SAC tournament championship. They made their eighth appearance in the NCAA tournament, advancing to the Southeast Regional championship game for the third consecutive year. 

Wade's honor marks the seventh time that a Carson-Newman woman has earned SAC Female Athlete of the Year Honors, while Terry's award marks Lincoln Memorial's first Male Athlete of the Year honor. 

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