Ricker Named South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Senior guard Ansley Ricker has been named the 2015-16 South Atlantic Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year as announced by the league on Thursday, March 17. This is the second time she has achieved this prestigious award.

Ricker is a fifth year senior biology major and carries a GPA of 4.0.  She has earned Dean's List honors all four years of her career at Mars Hill, earning SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll honors all four years as well.  Ricker has served as a College Marshall every year while she has been at Mars Hill, including serving as the Chief Marshall the past two years.  Ricker founded the Beta Beta Beta chapter at Mars Hill, the national biological honor society, and has been a member of the Alpha Chi National Honor Society since her sophomore year.  The honor marks her second South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award as she earned the prestigious honor during her junior year.

"Young women like Ansley are rare," said head Mars Hill head women's basketball Sarah Jansen.  "Ansley is a student-athlete in every sense of the word.  She is a fierce competitor, loyal teammate, role model and ambassador.  Ansley understands that life is about more than just basketball or success she has in the classroom.  It is about relationships and the ability to make any situation she comes across better.  Mars Hill University and our women's basketball program is better because Ansley was here."

During her freshman season, she led the SAC in three-point field goal percentage and started over half of Mars Hill's games.  She became a full-time starter in her sophomore season where she averaged 12.4 points per game to rank second on her squad.  During her junior campaign, she earned second-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors as she finished second in the League with 18.1 points per outing.  She also ranked No. 2 in the League in three-point field goal percentage and led her team in assists per game.  An ACL injury sidelined her for the 2014-15 season.  This past season saw Ricker average 15.7 points per game to rank No. 3 in the League and rank No.4 in the South Atlantic Conference with a 39.3 stroke from downtown to earn first-team All-South Atlantic Conference honors.  The three-time team captain's play helped the Lions finish the season ranked No.4 in the League standings after being picked to finish No. 8 in the preseason.

In the classroom, Ricker has participated in research with the Mars Hill faculty in sampling and monitoring water quality in streams in the Appalachian Mountains.  Her Quorum Sensing Review research paper won the Alpha Chi National Honors Society Gaston-Noelle Scholarship as she was tabbed CoSIDA Academic All-District this past season.  Ricker also won the Quillion College of Medicine Internship Award during the summer of 2015.

Ricker has also found time to volunteer in the community as she has volunteered with Beacon of Hope, My Sister's Place, Big Brothers Animal Rescue and local elementary and high schools in each of her four years at Mars Hill.  She is a volunteer for Mars Hill student support services as a tutor and supplemental teacher and has participated in mission work in Nyanga of Capetown, South Africa.