Trinity's Kitzinger; Southwestern's Elliott Named SCAC Character & Community Student-Athletes of the Week

Trinity's Kitzinger; Southwestern's Elliott Named SCAC Character & Community Student-Athletes of the Week

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Robert Kitzinger of Trinity University and Lauren Elliott of Southwestern University have been selected as the SCAC Male and Female Character & Community Student-Athletes of the Week, respectively, for the week ending Sunday, December 15.

The SCAC Character & Community award was created in 2009 to honor and recognize the efforts of the extraordinary student-athletes of the conference who not only excel athletically on the field, course, court, pool or track, but also by serving their campus and community.

To view past winners of the award, click here


ROBERT KITZINGER OF TRINITY UNIVERSITY
, a senior guard on the men's basketball team from Carmel, Ind., has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Male Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending Sunday, December 15.

Kitzinger is a sharp-shooting standout for the Tigers who has earned All-SCAC honors each of the past two seasons. In addition to his accolades on the court, Kitzinger was also named to the All-Academic Team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 2012-13. He has already received distinction as the SCAC Player of the Week for his performance in the opening week of the season.

With his strong start to the season, Kitzinger became the 24th player in Trinity history to score 1,000 or more points in a career, and he has since moved into 18th on the all-time scoring list with 1,106 career points with the Tigers. Kitzinger is second in school history in three-point field goals, scoring 186 in his career. He is also the school’s record-holder in three-point field goals attempted (515).

A Management major who is minoring in Speech Communication, Kitzinger served as a Congressional Intern over the summer for the Chairman of Homeland Security, Texas Congressman Michael McCaul. Kitzinger also interned at law firms the previous three summers in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Off the court, Kitzinger is a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society, and serves as the Financial Representative of the Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society. He is a two-time member of Trinity’s Dean’s List (Spring 2012, Fall 2012).

One of his main avenues for community service comes by way of his volunteer work with The Arc of San Antonio, which offers services for children and adults with disabilities. Kitzinger specifically worked with the adults in the “Let’s Make a Difference Club,” bonding especially with a pair of friends with Cerebral Palsy.

Kitzinger is trying to lead Trinity to its third consecutive SCAC Championship, having won the conference tournament and advancing to the NCAA Playoffs each of the past two seasons.

LAUREN ELLIOTT OF SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, a senior center on the women's basketball team from San Antonio, Texas, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending December 15, 2013.

A three-year team captain, Elliott has been a tireless worker and the quintessential team leader for the Pirate women's basketball team.

Elliott also excels in the classroom as she carries a 3.53 GPA, has earned the Director of Athletics Academic Excellence Award four times and was on the Dean's List the Spring of 2013. She was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Honor Society in the Fall of 2012 and is currently the Treasurer of the Kappa Delta Pi Education Honor Society.

In addition, Elliott is currently serving as the Vice President of Southwestern's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and played an integral role in starting the tradition of the annual SAAC Meet & Greet at the beginning of the school year.

Off the court, Elliott has prepared for a future career in teaching by becoming a mentor in the Georgetown Independent School District and has also volunteered for Circle K International as the Chair of the Scrapbook Committee. 

"Lauren has a special calling for teaching and has poured her college experience into finding ways to educate children," said her head coach Kerri Brinkoeter. "Creativity and resourcefulness are two qualities I would use to describe Lauren as I think about her teaching abilities. These qualities are natural for Lauren and she will be able to turn a classroom into a haven for learning. I can imagine that Ms. Elliott will be a favorite for students and a teacher that will be able to spark a love of learning in children."