HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Southern Conference wrapped up its 2022 spring meetings at the Sonesta Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Thursday. The three-day meetings were attended by the institutional presidents and chancellors, athletic directors, senior woman administrators and faculty athletic representatives, as well as Southern Conference staff.
 
Among the business conducted, the league’s Executive Committee approved revisions to the Southern Conference Constitution and Bylaws, which underwent an extensive review over the past year by league and school administrators.
 
The groups in attendance discussed potential impending changes to the NCAA structure, with NCAA Vice President of Division I Kevin Lennon (in person) and NCAA Transformation Committee Co-Chair Julie Cromer (virtual) in attendance to aid in those discussions.
 
At the Honors Dinner on Wednesday evening, the SoCon recognized the league’s annual award winners, beginning with the 10 SoCon postgraduate scholarship winners. Among the institutional awards, the Barrett-Bonner Award, given annually to the school with the highest percentage of its student-athletes on the SoCon Honor Roll, went to Mercer for the seventh consecutive year, as the Bears had 78.5 percent of their student-athletes earn the necessary 3.0 GPA for the year. The D.S. McAlister Award, presented annually to the school judged by the league’s administrators and head coaches to have exhibited the highest degree of sportsmanship, went to The Citadel for the fourth time overall and first since 2007-08. The Graduation Rate Award was shared by Samford and Wofford, who paced the league in the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate data with identical scores of 97. The league also recognized retiring SoCon Associate Commissioner Sue Arakas at the conclusion of the Honors Dinner.
 
ETSU was awarded the Commissioner’s Cup for fielding the best men’s programs in the league for the sixth time overall and fifth time since 2015-16, while Samford was recognized for winning the Germann Cup, which honors the school with the top women’s programs, for the second straight season and the fourth time overall.
 
“The meetings were productive,” SoCon Commissioner Jim Schaus said. “I’m encouraged about the tremendous harmony and stability in our conference. A primary focus for us is to be prepared for future NCAA structural changes and strategically prepare for where we need to be as a conference to position us for future success.”