VIDEO: Meridith Hawkins Interview

AUSTIN, Texas – Carson-Newman women's golfer Meridith Hawkins (Powell, Tenn.) has been lauded with a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's At-Large Team, the organization announced Thursday at noon.

"This is a tremendous honor for me," Hawkins said. "I always tried to balance my academics and my athletics.  Coming into my freshman year, I knew I had to lock down if I were to do both at the same time and be successful at both.  To be able to balance both and get this in recognition of that balance is very rewarding."

Hawkins was a member of the All-SAC second team as a senior and was a second team all-tournament selection at the SAC championships.   

Hawkins won the Carson-Newman/Newberry Dual Match with a one-over 73 and finished with five top-10 finishes with a sixth-place showing at the Agnes McAmis Memorial to lead the way

She had a 79.3 stroke average for the year.

In the at-large program, District III includes schools affiliated with the South Atlantic Conference, the Conference Carolinas and the Peach Belt Conference. Hawkins will advance to the national ballot with C-N swimmer Nancy Claire Smith for the opportunity to make one of the three Academic All-America teams. The at-large team includes athletes who participate in swimming, golf, lacrosse, ice hockey, tennis, bowling, field hockey, rifle, gymnastics and water polo. 

NCAA DIVISION II (Conference Carolinas, Peach Belt, South Atlantic)

FIRST TEAM

Sport                  Name                               School                                             Yr.     Hometown                     GPA    Major

Swimming        Vika Arkhipova               WINGATE                                        Sr.     Seversk, Russia             3.90    Marketing

Tennis                Sarah Baker                   TUSCULUM                                   Jr.      Marietta, Ga.                   3.84    Pre-veterinary medicine

Tennis                Rebecca Bruning           ANDERSON (SC)                          Jr.      Athens, Ga.                     4.00    Biological & biomedical sciences

Tennis                Diana DiMarco               YOUNG HARRIS                            Sr.     Alpharetta, Ga.               3.97    History

Lacrosse           Savannah Elliott            TUSCULUM                                   So.    Oshawa, Ontario            3.93    Psychology

Tennis                Franziska Funke            TUSCULUM                                   So.    Bochum, Germany        4.00    Psychology

Golf                    Meridith Hawkins           CARSON-NEWMAN                     Sr.     Powell, Tenn.                 3.97    Biology

Golf                    Mikaela Hadaway         WINGATE                                        Jr.      Kettering, Ohio               4.00    Psychology

Tennis                Tara Lamers                   NEWBERRY (SC)                          Sr.     Maastricht, Netherlands 3.95    Mathematics

Golf                    Calley Lawson               TUSCULUM                                   Sr.     Gaithersburg, Md.          4.00    Elementary education / special ed.

Tennis                Carlotta Nassi                QUEENS (NC)                               So.    Livorno, Italy                   3.86    Communications & sports mgmt.

Swimming        Nancy Claire Smith       CARSON-NEWMAN                     Jr.      Franklin, Tenn.               4.00    Chemistry

Tennis                Diana Stomlega            ARMSTRONG STATE                   Jr.      Peniscola, Spain           3.90    Nursing

Tennis                Elizabeth Williamson    NEWBERRY (SC)                          Jr.      Canterbury, New Zealand           4.00        Biology