Lenoir-Rhyne’s Coulter, Mars Hill’s Jackson Named SAC Scholar Athletes for Cross Country

GREENEVILLE, TN - Lenoir-Rhyne College senior Erin Coulter, who won two races this year, and Mars Hill College junior James Benjamin "Ben" Jackson III, a two-time all-conference runner, were selected as the 2002 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athletes for women's and men's cross country.

(l-r) Doug Echols, SAC Commissioner; Erin Coulter, Lenoir-Rhyne; Dr. Dolph Henry, Tusculum College President
The two received their awards Friday night at the Cross Country Awards Banquet on the campus of Tusculum College, as part of the 2002 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Fall Sports Festival.

Coulter has been the number one runner for the Bears since her freshman year. She earned second-team All-Conference honors last year. But this year, she is having her best collegiate season. She won the Wingate Invitational with a then personal best time of 19:47. She also won the Lenoir-Rhyne Invitational, establishing a personal best time of 19:27, and was named the SAC's Runner of the Week.

Coulter is a senior mathematics major, with a 3.94 GPA. She has been a member of Lenoir-Rhyne's President's List and the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor roll every semester. She is also a two-time recipient of the Piedmont Educational Foundation Bears Club Scholar Athlete of the Year.

In the community, Coulter works with Habitat for Humanity and is a member of the Alpha Lamda Delta honor society. She tutors high school math students and works with the Catawba Valley Community College math tournament.

(l-r) Doug Echols, SAC Commissioner; Ben Jackson, Mars Hill; Dr. Dolph Henry, Tusculum College President
Jackson is a two-time second-team All-Conference runner, who has helped the Lions to conference championships in 2000 and 2001. As a freshman, he collapsed due to heat exhaustion in his first college race and had to take a month off. But he came back to earn All-Conference honors. He is having one his best seasons this year. He finished 18th overall with a time of 27:58 at the North Carolina Championships. His best finish was ninth at the Brevard Invitational.

Jackson is a junior with a double major in biology and chemistry with a minor in mathematics, and carries a 3.79 GPA. Despite his heavy load, he is more than one year ahead of pace academically and has already achieved senior status after his sophomore year. He is a Grayson, Ford and Corpening Scholar at Mars Hill, a member of the Dean's List, the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the National Dean's List. Last year, he was named an Academic All-American in cross country with one of the highest GPAs in the country.

Ben is also a leader on the Mars Hill campus and in the community. He was the Freshman Class President in 2000-01, and student body vice president last school year. He also serves on the Faculty Plans and Policy Committee and is the student ambassador committee vice president of campus relations.

Jackson aspires to be a surgeon, and has worked and volunteered more than 1,000 hours at Lexington Medical Center and Mission St. Josephs Hospital in Asheville.

He is an active member of Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church and has participated in four mission trips.

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one athlete from each of the conference's 14 sport programs and represents a combination of athletic skill, academic achievement and participation in community service and leadership.