LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference announced today the four finalists for the 2019 SCAC Man of the Year award. The award recognizes the conference’s senior male student-athlete who has best distinguished himself throughout his collegiate career in the areas of academic achievement, athletic excellence and service and leadership. Past Winners
Member schools were permitted to submit two nominations if at least one of the nominees was a man of color or international student-athlete.
This year’s finalist include: Joseph Khalaf of Austin College, Henry Baldwin of Colorado College, Riley Schaefer of Texas Lutheran University and Blair Walker of Trinity University.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in his primary sport by the end of the 2019 spring season, received his undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2019 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
The 2019 Southern Collegiate Athletic Man of the Year will be selected and announced later this month.
Scroll below to read a quick bio on each of the eight finalists:
Joseph Khalaf, Austin College
Men's Soccer
- Graduated as a Math and Economics major with a 3.83 GPA
- Four-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll honoree (2015-18)
- Three-time First-Team All-SCAC (2016-18)
- SCAC Elite 19 Award Winner – 2018
- United Soccer Coaches (USC) 2018 Scholar All-West Region Team
- Men’s Soccer Team Captain (2016-18)
- 2018-19 Austin College Outstanding Senior Man Award
- Phi Beta Kappa Member
- Alpha Chi Member
- Omicron Delta Epsilon Member
- Daniel L. & Martha P. Nuckols Award (given to the most outstanding student in Economics)
- John D. Mosely Alumni Scholarship Recipient
- Austin College Dean’s Scholarship Recipient
- First Baptist Church Youth Basketball Coach and Referee (2013-18)
- Master Key Ministries (School Supply Distribution/Back-to-School Supplies/Food Bank) (2016)
- Austin College Peer Tutor
- Peer Review Board / Economic Scholars Program at Dallas Federal Reserve Bank (2017-19)
- Institutional Advancement Student Ambassador (2017-19)
- Posey Leadership Campus Planning Committee (2017-19)
Henry Baldwin, Colorado College
Men’s Track & Field
- Graduated as an English major with a 3.78 GPA
- Three-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll honoree (2016-18)
- SCAC High Jump Champion (2017-19)
- U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) All-West Region Team (2017-19)
- Colorado College Outdoor High Jump Record Holder
- Colorado College Indoor High Jump Record Holder
- NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship Participant (2018-19)
- Colorado College Track & Field Team MVP (2016-19)
- USTFCCCA Div. III All-Academic Individual (2017-19)
- USTFCCCA Div. III All-Academic Team (2017-19)
- CC Track & Field Clinic for Middle Schoolers (2016-19)
- Friends of Monument Creek (Cleaned Creek – 2018)
- Camping and Education Foundation (Trip Leader 2015-16, Trip Head 2019)
- Leader of an Independent Student Rock Band (2017-18)
- Sigma Chi Philanthropy Chair (2016-18)
Riley Schaefer, Texas Lutheran University
Baseball
- Graduated as an Accounting major with a 3.98 GPA
- NCAA Division III Elite 90 Award Winner (2018)
- Google Cloud Academic All-American (2018 – First Team, 2017 – Third Team)
- Google Cloud Academic First-Team All-District (2017-18)
- TLU Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2018)
- Four-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll honoree (2015-18)
- Graduated with concurrent bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy in TLU’s five-year program
- Graduated Suma Cum Laude in both degrees
- 2018 SCAC Baseball Player-of-the-Year
- D3baseball.com West Region Player-of-the-Year (2018)
- SCAC and TLU single season hits leader with 95 (2018)
- NCAA Hits Leader (2018)
- 2018 NCAA Div. III Baseball National Runner-up
- American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Second-Team All-American (2018)
- Two-Time First-Team All-SCAC (2017-18)
- HOT DAWGS Service Days (2015-18)
- Elementary School Reading Day Volunteer (2015-2018)
- Eden Cross Nursing Home Volunteer (2017-18)
- Baseball Leadership Council (2017-18)
- TLU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (2015-18)
- Black & Gold President’s Council (2016-18)
- Alpha Lambda Delta Member (2016-18)
Blair Walker, Trinity University
Men's Track & Field
- Graduated as a Computer Science Major with a 3.84 GPA
- Three-time SCAC Academic Honor Roll honoree (2016-18)
- SCAC Elite 19 Award Winner (2019)
- SCAC Outdoor Track & Field 400-Meter Champion (2019)
- SCAC Outdoor Track & Field 4x100 Meter Relay Champion (2018-19)
- U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) All-West Region Team (2019)
- Trinity University Record Holder in the 400-Meters
- Trinity University Record Holder in the 4x100 Meter Relay
- Trinity University Record Holder in the 4x400 Meter Relay
- Trinity University Dean’s List
- Local Girl Scouts Twilight Camp (2015-19)
- McKinney Summer Track Meet Volunteer (2014-19)
