VIDEO: Jack Browder Interview
ROCK HILL, S.C. – For the first time in the history of Carson-Newman's athletic department, a man has won the South Atlantic Conference's President's Award winner, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
Jack Browder (Kingsport, Tenn.) earns the award at the conclusion of his sophomore athletic season (academically, he is a rising senior) to become the first sophomore winner of the award in the league's history. He joins swimmer Rachel Peden (2023) and softball pitcher Marci Mitchell (2002 and 2003) as the only C-N recipients of the award all-time.
The highest individual honor presented annually by the South Atlantic Conference, the President's Award is voted on by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives and to be eligible, student-athletes must exemplify excellence in athletics, academics and community service. Further, to be nominated for this prestigious award, the individual must have been honored as the Scholar-Athlete of the Year during the year in one of the league's 20 sponsored sports.
"I'm thankful and blessed to be supported by a lot of great people at Carson-Newman," Browder said. "That's from the top down, from people like (C-N president) Dr. Fowler to Bob Trentham, coaches, players and staff. It feels good to be rewarded with something like this. Most importantly, my mom and dad are happy about it."
Browder is also the seventh all-time men's basketball winner of the league's Scholar Athlete of the Year, and the first since Sawyer Williams was lauded at the conclusion of the 2016-17 season.
Carson-Newman's seven men's basketball scholar athlete honorees are the most in league history. Mars Hill and Newberry have both had five players recognized. 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.
"We could not be happier and prouder of Jack being the first male student athlete from Carson-Newman to win the most prestigious academic award in the South Atlantic Conference," head men's basketball coach Chuck Benson said. "This is, in my mind, a new high for our program and for institution. It without question raises the bar."
The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership. The Kingsport, Tennessee native holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average while studying business administration.
Browder has collected a variety of academic accolades over his two seasons with the Eagles, as he is a two-time Carson-Newman Dean's List Member, a two-time Platinum Eagle Scholar, a two-time Hope Scholar, a two-time Presidential Scholar and a first-team Academic All-American.
Browder was the only player in the SAC to land among the top ten in both scoring and rebounding this season. He finished second in the league in rebounding with 8.1 boards per game and sixth in scoring with 18.5 points per game. Along the way, he collected 11 double doubles. He shot 48.3 percent from the field and 41.0 percent from three while canning 57 triples. Browder made a team-best 110 free throws at an 80.3 percent clip.
Browder scored in double-digits in all but two games this season, and entered the SAC tournament on a career-best 15-game streak scoring 10 or more. He topped 20 points on 14 occasions throughout the season and joined Shaun Jones as the only players since 1985 with more than 240 rebounds in a season.
For his efforts, he was named the TSWA Player of the Week, an All-SAC selection, and an All-SAC tournament team member.
Off the court, Browder is extremely involved in his community. He volunteers with the First Broad Street United Methodist Church, the Funfest Family Basketball Experience, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, and with Kingsport area middle school players for one-on-one skill building during the summer.
Browder also takes on roles as a speaker at the Boys & Girls Club of Kingsport, a Leadership Council member for Carson-Newman's men's basketball program, a mentor for elementary school students in and around his hometown of Kingsport, and as a participant in Carson-Newman's annual Operation INASMUCH.
