Taylor Named SAC Scholar Athlete

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Coker's Brendan McCarron and Mars Hill's Leah Taylor – a pair of seniors – have been voted as the 2013 SAC Soccer Scholar-Athletes of the Year, earning recognition for their achievements in academics, athletics, service and leadership. 

The SAC 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 league's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. 

Taylor has a 3.98 GPA majoring in psychology and sociology with a criminal justice concentration at Mars Hill.  She is a four-time Bonner Scholar and a multiple-year selection to the MHU Dean's List, the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and the Psi Chi National Honor Society.

Taylor started 52 matches over her four years at MHU, and recorded a career-best three goals in 2013.  The defender saw action in each of the Lions' 17 contests this season.

Taylor is an active presence on campus, serving as president of MHU's Psychology Club and Psi Chi National Honor Society, along with giving her time as secretary of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society. She is also teaching assistant and a fellow at the Center for Assessment and Research Alliances.

The Baltimore native applies her academic background in various capacities, working with groups that include Johns Hopkins Hospital, Eliada Home, Listening Heart Crisis/Suicide Hotline, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Open Path Psychotherapy Collective.

McCarron, a biology major, carries a 3.7 GPA.  His academic accolades at Coker – which is in its first year as a SAC member – include being named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team and the Presidential Honor Roll and Academic All-Conference Team of the Cobras' former league. 

McCarron has been a staple in Coker's lineup since arriving on campus, playing in at least 14 matches all four years.  A team captain, he started 11 matches in 2013, finishing with an assist while helping anchor a defensive front that surrendered the third-fewest goals in the SAC. 

Away from soccer, McCarron is an active leader in the ENACTUS community service organization, which supports efforts including Habitat for Humanity and Let's Can Hunger.  He is heavily involved in biology research on campus, and volunteered significant time in the lab last summer at Daxon and Grundset Dentistry. 

Recipients of the SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award receive a gift package from SAC business partner Office Depot.

Also considered:

Lindsay Pritchard, Brevard

Brandi Baldwin, Wingate

Brianna Belsky, Lenoir-Rhyne

Greg Munn, Mars Hill

Olivia Scalzitti, Anderson

Rumwald Le Guevel, Carson-Newman

Adam Kulbat, Tusculum

Marissa Williams, Tusculum

Anna Toole, Catawba

Lizz Morris, Coker