Former Lion Recognized in SAC 20 for 20 Moments

ROCK HILL, S.C.-- The SAC is celebrating 20 years in Division II by counting down the top 20 moments from the past two decades in a series titled SAC 20 for 20. The countdown continues on Wednesday, with the unveiling of moments No. 11-15. Former Mars Hill women's basketball star Susie Hopson, who became the first alum of a SAC school to compete in the WNBA, is featured in moment no. 12.

No. 15 | Anderson men's basketball - Trojans upset Augusta St. to reach NCAA Division II Elite Eight (March 15, 2011)

In its first season of competition as a SAC member, Anderson's men's basketball program stunned top-seeded Augusta St. in overtime on its home floor, 75-73, to win the 2011 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Southeast Regional and earn a spot in the NCAA Elite Eight. The Trojans became just the second men's team in SAC history to reach the Elite Eight and the first school from South Carolina to play in the event since 1999.

Junior Taylor Shugart led Anderson in the regional final with 14 points and a crucial blocked shot on a potential game-tying Augusta St. layup with two seconds remaining in overtime.

Despite falling in the first round of the Elite Eight to West Liberty, Anderson ended the season with a record of 21-12. AU then finished one win shy of reaching the Elite Eight again in 2012.

No. 14 | Wingate men's basketball - Bulldogs become first SAC program to advance to NCAA Elite Eight (March 13, 2007)

After storming through the SAC Basketball Championship - which included a 15-point victory over Catawba in the title game - Wingate's men's basketball program used its momentum to win the 2007 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Southeast Regional, becoming the first men's team in SAC history to earn a spot in the NCAA Elite Eight.

WU defeated Armstrong and Augusta St. in the Southeast Regional's first two rounds before rolling over Virginia Union, 73-56, in the championship game. The Bulldogs would eventually fall to Cal St.-San Bernardino in the first round of the Elite Eight.

Wingate finished the 2006-07 with an overall record of 25-9, including an 11-5 record in conference games.

No. 13 | Newberry women's golf - Maria Luz Besio finishes second at NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championship (May 15, 2010)

In one of the top individual performances at an NCAA championship in SAC history, Newberry sophomore Maria Luz Besio earned national runner-up honors at the 2010 NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championship in Mesa, Ariz. Besio finished the four-day event with a six-over par 290, just five strokes behind national champion Sandra Changkija of Nova Southeastern.

Besio's impressive showing at the championship included a three-under 68 in the second round, which remains the best individual score in SAC women's golf history. Her career stroke average of 76.7 is also the lowest in conference history.

Besio was the SAC Player of the Year in 2009 and 2012, and won the individual title at the SAC Golf Championship in 2010 and 2012.

No. 12 | Mars Hill women's basketball - Susie Hopson becomes first SAC player to compete in WNBA (1997)

After completing a decorated career at Mars Hill, Susie Hopson earned a roster spot on the WNBA's Charlotte Sting. 1997 was the inaugural year for the WNBA, and Hopson was the only Division II graduate in the league that season.

Hopson played in six games in 1997 for the Sting, averaging 2.7 points. The Sting finished the season with a record of 15-13 and reached the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs.

Hopson's Mars Hill accolades included being named the 1996 SAC Player of the Year. Her 1,984 career points are currently the sixth-most in league history.

No. 11 | Wingate women's basketball - WU reaches back-to-back NCAA Elite Eights (1995-96)

Over the course of the 1994-95 and 1995-96 women's basketball seasons, Wingate won a combined 48 games and made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. WU remains the only program in SAC history to reach the event in consecutive years.

In 1995, Wingate defeated Carson-Newman, Norfolk St. and USC Spartanburg in the South Atlantic Regional en route to reaching the Elite Eight. The Bulldogs' 1996 run consisted of wins over Gardner-Webb and Mars Hill in the South Atlantic Regional's first two rounds and a 35-point blowout of Bowie St. in the regional final. WU fell in the first round of the Elite Eight in both seasons.

Wingate had four players earn All-SAC accolades over the two years, split the SAC regular-season championship with Carson-Newman in 1995 and won the SAC Tournament title in 1996.

The next SAC 20 for 20 announcement, highlighting moments No. 6-10, will be released the week of April 1.