SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc., a national executive search firm, and the Southern Conference, the nation’s fifth oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association, announced the selection of 24 student athletes as recipients of the fourth annual Coleman Lew Leadership Award.
The award recognizes student-athletes from each of the Southern Conference’s 12 member institutions. Coaches, faculty athletic representatives and senior woman administrators nominate prospective candidates based on leadership, academic excellence and athletic achievement in both the college environment and the community. Athletic directors and representatives from Coleman Lew & Associates conducted one-on-one interviews with the finalists before determining the award winners.
“Our firm, as an educational partner with the Southern Conference, is proud to present the fourth annual Coleman Lew Leadership Award to these outstanding student-athletes,” said Kenneth D. Carrick, Jr., partner-managing director. “These students represent the best in academic performance, athletic skill, community service and leadership ability.”
Recipients will be recognized at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner on Wednesday, May 27 at the Crowne Plaza Resort in Hilton Head, S.C.
The 2009 Coleman Lew & Associates Leadership Award recipients are:
Name (Institution) Sport Academic Major
Matt Andress (Appalachian State) Baseball Construction Management
Cassandra Engelgau (Appalachian State) Volleyball Organizational Communications
John Bello (College of Charleston) Soccer Exercise Science
Emily Sawin (College of Charleston) Volleyball Biochemistry
Richard Jones (The Citadel) Baseball Business Administration
Lauren Fleming (The Citadel) Track & Field Health & Wellness
Clinton Smith (Davidson) Soccer English
Teresa Wang (Davidson) Tennis Biology
Mike Melillo (Elon) Baseball Business Administration
Lauren Griffith (Elon) Soccer Accounting & Spanish
Jonathan Collier (Furman) Soccer Business Administration
Lana Mackey (Furman) Softball Health Exercise Science
Jake Ware (Georgia Southern) Baseball International Studies
Jessica Geiger (Georgia Southern) Basketball Marketing
Arsel Kumdereli (UNC Greensboro) Tennis Business Studies
Laura Olenderski (UNC Greensboro) Softball Marketing
Wayne Miller (Samford) Baseball International Relations
Natalie Fleming (Samford) Soccer Family Studies
Joseph Thornton (Chattanooga) Football Criminal Justice
Brooke Loudermilk (Chattanooga) Softball Art Education
Timothy Jake Robinson (Western Carolina) Basketball Finance
Katie Hennessey (Western Carolina) Volleyball Communication
Nicklaus Schuermann (Wofford) Soccer Biology
Joanna Suddath (Wofford) Volleyball Chemistry
ABOUT COLEMAN LEW & ASSOCIATES
Coleman Lew & Associates, Inc., founded in 1979 and headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is a national retained executive search firm that recruits board members, officers and senior level executives for national and international companies, academic institutions and non-profit organization. The firm also provides customized leadership development services to organizations seeking to maximize corporate performance.
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference, in its 88th season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models. The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), developing women’s championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the three-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.
The conference currently consists of 12 members in five states throughout the southeast and sponsors 19 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.