LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- For the next two weeks, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will recognize and honor all of its senior spring sport student-athletes who had their final seasons cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak.
After the NCAA made the unprecedented decision on Thursday, March 12 to cancel all winter and spring championships due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SCAC Presidents Council decided to indefinitely suspend all regular season conference and non-conference competition.
"This was a heartbreaking decision we had to make," said SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "No one wanted it to come to this, but at the end of the day we are tasked with prioritizing the health and well-being of thousands of students and student-athletes on each of our campuses. That has to to be the focus above all else."
Although the league held out hope that by only suspeding play a window of opportunity may present itself for an abbreviated spring season with some form of tournament play the following month, with the virus continuing to spread throughout the country which has caused campuses who had originally hoped to remain open to close for the semester, the 2020 athletics season has effectively ended for over a thousand of the league's spring sport student-athletes along with the careers of 100+ seniors.
And even though some of the league's student-athletes may take advantage of a blanket waiver that would grant an additional season of participation, the SCAC office would like to honor and recognize all of its spring sport senior student athletes.
Today, the league turns the spotlight on its senior men's tennis student-athletes. Represented among these 18 student-athletes is:
- 30 SCAC All-Academic selections
- 18 ITA Scholar Athletes
- 6 SCAC All-Sportsmanship selections
- 11 SCAC All-Tournament selections (singles play)
- 10 SCAC All-Tournament selections (doubles play)
- 11 All-SCAC First Team selections
- 1 SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year
- 1 SCAC Player-of-the-Year
- 1 SCAC Elite 19 recipient
- 3 SCAC Championship titles
- 7 NCAA Tournament appearances (team and individual)
- 1 ITA West Region Player-to-Watch
- 1 ITA All-American selection (singles play)
- 1 ITA All-American selection (doubles play)
Centenary had just one senior on its roster this season, Max Wamsley of Vicksburg, Miss. He attended Warren Central High School wherte he also ran track and played soccer. He made the SCAC Scholar's List in his time as a Gent. #GoCentenary #CTheOpportunity
