Wingate’s Sean Barnette, Carson-Newman’s Rebecca Angus Named SAC Athletes Of The Year

ROCK HILL, SC - Wingate University's Sean Barnette, an All-American basketball player who helped lead the Bulldogs to an appearance in the Elite Eight, and Carson-Newman women's soccer standout Rebecca Angus have been named the 2006-07 South Atlantic Conference Male and Female Athletes of the Year following a vote of the league's Directors of Athletics, the conference office announced today.

The SAC Male and Female Athlete of the Year awards are given annually to one male and one female student-athlete based on athletic performance in one or more sports, and the impact of that performance on the SAC and NCAA Division II.

Barnette, a junior guard/forward from Rock Hill, S.C. (Northwestern High School) was the 2007 SAC men's basketball Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring at 21.6 points per game. He also ranked among the league top 10 leaders in rebounding, assists, free-throw percentage, 3-point percentage, 3-pointers made, blocked shots and defensive rebounds.

Barnette helped lead the Bulldogs (25-9 overall, 11-5 SAC) to an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. Wingate was the first team in SAC history to appear in the Elite Eight.

Barnette surpassed the 1,000 career point mark early in his junior campaign. With 333 more points, Barnette could become the first player in SAC history to score more than 2,000 points in a career.

A first team All-SAC honoree, Barnette led the SAC in scoring at 21.6 points per game and defensive rebounding at 5.6 rebounds per game. In addition, Barnette was third in the SAC with 7.6 rebounds per contest and 2.2 three point field goals made per game and fifth in blocked shots per game with 1.1. He shot 49.8 percent from the floor and 84.9 percent from the free-throw line.

He was a first-team Daktronics All-South Atlantic Region selection, and a third-team All-American by Daktronics. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Food Lion SAC Tournament for the second year in a row.

Barnette also earned Academic All-District honors from ESPN The Magazine for the first time in his career. Barnette is an accounting major at Wingate.

"Sean Barnette has worked very hard to elevate his game," said Wingate head men's basketball coach Parker Laketa. "When he arrived at Wingate, he knew he had much work to do. Sean has an incredible work ethic. His achievements on the basketball court and in the classroom are amazing."

Angus, a senior forward from Middlesborough, England (Sacred Heart) wrapped up a stellar career in the South Atlantic Conference. She earned her second conference Player of the Year Award in three years in 2006. She finished the season with 21 goals, nine assists, and 51 points, leading the South Atlantic Conference in goals scored per game, assists per game, and points per game.

In 2006, the Lady Eagles won both the South Atlantic Conference regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Southeast Regional tournament final.

During her four-year career, she helped lead the Lady Eagles to the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2004 and 2005 and was named to the SAC's All-Conference first team in each of her four years at Carson-Newman. This season, she earned All-Southeast Region first team honors from both Daktronics and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was named an NSCAA All-American.

"Becky has been fantastic all four years for both Carson-Newman College and the South Atlantic Conference," said Carson-Newman women's soccer coach Phil McNamara. "Becky is without question the biggest reason for our record of four straight NCAA Tournaments, including two NCAA Final Fours. In simple terms, Becky has been the individual difference in big games."