ROCK HILL, S.C. - For the first time in school history, Carson-Newman's men's track and field program has had an athlete named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the South Atlantic Conference.
Carson-Newman's Caleb Agee (Floyd, Va.) has grabbed the award, the league office announced Wednesday morning.
"If you know Caleb, you know he works hard," Carson-Newman head track and field coach David Needs said. "That's not just on the track, but also in the classroom. It's no surprise to see him win this because he's one of the most dedicated people you will ever meet. To have someone win three straight 400 hurdles at the SAC Championship Meet is special, but then to see him excel in the classroom takes it to another level."
The South Atlantic Conference 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 SAC's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.
Agee holds a 3.93 GPA as a biology major. He has been on the Carson-Newman Dean's List for three years, is a three-time SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection and was a Gold Scholar Eagle for two the last two years. He more than likely repeat his selection to those four lists as he moves on to his senior year.
Agee is the three-time winner in the 400-meter hurdles at the SAC Outdoor Championship and holds a league and school record time of 53.78 seconds in the event. He is also a three-time U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region in the 400-meter hurdles.
Off the track, Agee participated in Operation Inasmuch, "a national nonprofit that employs proven models to motivate, train, and equip churches to move more congregants out of the sanctuary seats and into the streets to serve the neediest in their communities.