L-R’s Artis selected as SAC’s top male athlete - Hickory Daily Record

L-R’s Artis selected as SAC’s top male athlete - Hickory Daily Record

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Lenoir-Rhyne's Jaquan Artis (32) signals to the referee after a fumble recovery in this file photo from 2019. Artis was named the South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year Wednesday following a vote by the league's athletic directors.

David Scearce/Record File Photo

ROCK HILL, S.C. — Lenoir-Rhyne enjoyed a highly successful 2019 football season, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Armed with one of the premier defenses in all of Division II, the Bears finished 13-1 and reached the regional title game for the second consecutive year.

Senior safety Kyle Dugger, who was drafted by the New England Patriots in April’s NFL draft, played a huge role in L-R’s success. But several other defensive players also stood out for the Bears, including senior defensive end Jaquan Artis, who was previously named the Division II Conference Commissioners Association Super Region Two Defensive Player of the Year and on Wednesday was recognized as the South Atlantic Conference Male Athlete of the Year following a vote by the league’s athletic directors.

A native of Kinston, Artis was also a finalist for both the Harlon Hill Trophy and the Gene Upshaw Award, given to the most valuable player and the best lineman in Division II, respectively. He had 82 tackles including 23 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks during his final year at L-R.

For his career, the 2019 SAC Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American had a staggering 47.5 tackles for loss and a program-record 29 sacks. Additionally, his 2019 sack total was the highest in all of Division II.

Trio of Bears land on CoSIDA Academic All-America teams

Three L-R athletes have recently been named to College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America teams, including junior softball player Talon LaClair, senior men’s tennis player Paul Lenz and senior women’s golfer Ainee O’Connor. The trio joins senior women’s soccer player Abigael McGarel and senior football players Ronnie Clifton and Clayton Horn to give the Bears six CoSIDA Academic All-Americans for the 2019-20 academic year, the most in school history.

LaClair landed on the CoSIDA First Team after being a third-teamer last season. She hit .474 in 24 games and scored 28 runs to go with seven home runs and a team-high 23 RBIs. Furthermore, she compiled a perfect 4.0 grade point average in mathematics and also earned a SAC Elite 20 Award.

Lenz and O’Connor nabbed CoSIDA Third Team honors in the Division II At-Large category, which includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

Lenz was a SAC Elite 20 Award winner in 2019, and he also posted a near-perfect GPA. Meanwhile, O’Connor’s CoSIDA Third Team recognition came on the heels of receiving the following accolades: SAC Golfer of the Year, SAC Elite 20 Award, SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Honorable Mention All-American selection.

L-R places 283 on SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll

The Bears shattered their previous record of individuals named to the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll with 283 selections during the 2019-20 academic year. A year ago, L-R placed 195 on the honor roll.

Every team on campus posted a team GPA of 3.0 or higher for L-R, while the average team GPA of 3.52 was the highest in school history. A total of 2,175 student-athletes spanning each of the SAC’s 12 member institutions and 20 sports were named to the 2019-20 SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

To be eligible for inclusion on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, student-athletes must have competed in a sponsored championship sport and maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher throughout the academic year.

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2020-06-18 20:39:00Z
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