'Southern Winter 2019

MORE SPORTS NEWS:
Women’s volleyball finished Southern Athletic
Association play with a 13-1 record to claim
its first-ever regular season championship. The
Panthers made their third consecutive trip to the
NCAA Tournament Nov. 15-17. Head Coach
Haven O’Quinn was named SAA Coach of the
Year, and six Panthers earned all-conference
honors, headlined by Newcomer of the Year
Alyssa Coats. Named National Player of the Week,
senior middle blocker Rebecca Erwin is second
in the country for blocks and blocks per set. The
senior biology major also excels in the classroom
with a 3.9 cumulative GPA, and she was named
Academic All-District.
The football team held on to the Wesley Cup
with a 45-13 win over Huntingdon College,
marking the first time since 2012 that the Cup
remained on the Hilltop for consecutive years. The
Panthers won five of their last six games, including
a 28-15 win over conference champion and
nationally ranked Berry College on Homecoming.
BSC (7-3, 6-2 SAA) finished the season one game
away from a conference title. Helping lead the
team was junior running back Robert Shufford,
who was named a First-Team All-American by the
American Football Coaches Association. He’s the
first Panther to earn All-American honors since
2011. Senior political science major Austin Lewter
holds a 3.875 GPA, was named Academic All-
District, and serves as SGA President.
Under new head coach Katelyn Geddings,
women’s soccer finished tied for third in the
league. Five Panthers earned all-conference honors,
led by Newcomer of the Year Gabby Bernal. Junior
accounting major Abby Kay Choate has a 3.98
GPA and was named Academic All-District.
Men’s soccer had four all-conference nods,
headlined by Newcomer of the Year Coleman
Jennings.
Cross Country made a splash at conference
championships. Senior Marjorie Head placed
seventh overall. She went on to place 22nd at
the NCAA Regionals and was named both allconference
and all-region.
Indoor track and field hosted the BSC
Panther Indoor Invitational Dec. 6.
The swimming and diving teams had six
Athlete of the Week honors before Nov. 1.
Freshman diver Mallory Wilson set new
program records in both the 1-meter and
3-meter events. The men’s team is ranked No.
24 nationally.
Basketball season is underway. As of Nov.20,
the women are off to a 3-0 start, led by senior
Emilee Olsen and sophomore Derienne Black.
Juniors Ben Spence and Christian Stewart
earned the first two SAA Player of the Week
honors of the season on the men’s side.
It’s been a busy fall for the Panthers. BSC
earned over 20 SAA Athlete of the Week
awards, six national weekly awards, three
SAA Newcomer of the Year awards, and
three Academic All-District honors, all before
Thanksgiving break.
Rebecca Erwin
Robert Shufford
ranked second in program history with a .412 career batting
average and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins.
Ann Templeton Dielen is BSC’s winningest and longesttenured
coach and the first coach of a reestablished program.
Her 41-year coaching career brought 678 victories to the
Hilltop for both men’s and women’s tennis teams. Dielen
led BSC teams to 40 total NAIA national tournament
appearances, four Division I winning seasons, and 10
Division III winning seasons. She has been honored as the
2016 Southern Athletic Association Coach of the Year, a
seven-time NAIA District Coach of the Year, the 1992 ITA
Women’s Coach of the Year, and as a member of the Georgia
State Athletics and Alabama Tennis Halls of Fame. BSC’s
tennis facility bears Dielen’s name.
FALL/WINTER 2019 / 13