Seven Named Finalists for SAC Female Athlete of the Year Award

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Seven student-athletes spanning seven different member institutions and five sports have been named finalists for the 2012-13 SAC Female Athlete of the Year award. The winner will be selected by the conference's athletic directors following next week's annual meeting.

Below are biographies of each SAC Female Athlete of the Year finalist.

Alissa Diaz, Anderson basketball

Diaz led Anderson to both the SAC regular season and tournament titles, earning SAC Player of the Year and SAC Championship MVP accolades along the way. She ranked second in the conference in scoring at 17.1 points per game and had eight twenty-point games.

Diaz's various honors included being named to the All-SAC First Team and the All-Southeast Region First Team, and an honorable mention selection to the DII-Bulletin All-America Team.

Claire Dillman, Brevard tennis

Dillman was selected as the co-SAC Player of the Year after going 13-4 overall in singles play and 11-6 in doubles matches. She went a combined 14-4 in singles and doubles matches in league contests.

Dillman was selected to the All-SAC First Team in both singles and doubles.

Carley Tysinger, Catawba softball

Tysinger was dominant on the mound for Catawba in 2013, winning 25 games with a 1.21 ERA and 324 strikeouts – all three of which led the conference. She posted 10 shutouts and had a 5.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Tysinger was named both the SAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, in addition to being chosen as the Daktronics Southeast Region Pitcher of the Year. She also earned third-team All-America accolades from Daktronics.

Brittany Hefner, Carson-Newman softball

Hefner had a monster season at the plate, setting a SAC record and leading the nation with 75 RBI. She also ranked first in the conference in home runs with 19 and second in batting average at .451.

The shortstop was named the SAC Player of the Year, the Daktronics Southeast Region Player of the Year, first-team All-Region by Daktronics and the NFCA, and first-team All-America by the NFCA.

Barbara Castro, Newberry golf

Castro won the individual medal at the 2013 Food Lion SAC Championship after shooting a three-day total of 232. She also captured the individual title at the Patsy Rendleman Invitation with a final score of two-under 142, which included an opening-round 69.

Overall, the All-SAC First Team selection had four top-five finishes and a 78.4 stroke average in 2012-13.

Emee Herbert, Tusculum golf

Herbert was named the SAC Player of the Year after posting a stroke average of 76.95, which ranked 32nd in the nation. She recorded individual runner-up finishes at the Tusculum Fall Classic, the Patsy Rendleman Invitational and the Agnes McAmis Memorial.

Herbert, who won the SAC Freshman of the Year award last season, shot rounds of 72 on three different occasions in 2012-13.

Jade Montgomery, Wingate soccer

Montgomery was the top scorer in Division II in 2012, finishing the season with 21 goals. She also ranked second nationally with seven game-winning goals and third with 48 total points.

The SAC Player of the Year led Wingate to a berth in the NCAA Tournament, was a first-team All-Region selection by the NSCAA and Daktronics, and was a member of the Daktronics All-America First Team.