Wingate's Mense Named 2023 South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Wingate University's Tatjana Mense was voted the 2023 South Atlantic Conference Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced today.

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference's championship sports and is voted on by the SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

Mense, a graduate student completing her Master of Accounting degree, holds a 3.95 grade point average and earns her third straight SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Mense serves as a Graduate Assistant in the Wingate University Porter Byrum School of Business and is an eight-time Wingate President's List honoree and a four-time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll member. In the spring of 2023, she was awarded the Jerry and Alice Surratt Award, which is presented to a senior who has made an impact through international travel and research. Mense graduated summa cum laude this past May, earning her bachelor's degree in finance with a minor in accounting.

Outside of the classroom, Mense has found success on the cross country course. As a graduate student, she ran her career-best time of 21:12.3 in the 6K as Wingate won the SAC Women's Cross Country Championship for the third year in a row. Mense earned her second All-Southeast Region honors, finishing seventh place and leading Wingate to their second straight region title. In her final career race, Mense helped Wingate to earn the program's second top-10 finish in three years as the Bulldogs recorded an eighth-place finish at the 2023 NCAA DII Cross Country Championship.

Mense has earned numerous athletic honors throughout her career, including three All-SAC Cross Country awards (2021, 2022, and 2023), two All-Southeast Region honors (2021 and 2023), and three SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades (2021, 2022, and 2023). Mense also ran a provisional outdoor track 10K time in 2023 and scored points at the SAC Outdoor Track Championship in 2021 and 2023 and the SAC Indoor Track Championship in 2020 and 2023.

The Bremen, Germany native has been extremely active in her community, as she served as a level 2 tutor for business, math, and marketing from 2021-2023 and worked as a supplemental instructor during the 2021 spring semester. Mense participated in the United Way Day of Caring, volunteering with the cross country and track team to do yard work and volunteered at the One Day, One Dog event that assisted the East Elementary School for six hours. She also worked as a nursing home volunteer during the summer and winter holidays in her hometown, providing assistance to senior citizens.

2023 Women's Cross Country Scholar-Athlete Finalists

Catherine Cann, Coker

Elizabeth Kessler, Lenoir-Rhyne

Raina Andrews, Catawba

Tatjana Mense, Wingate

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