LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference announced today the five finalists for the 2020 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: Taylor Wells of Centenary College, Tony Calderon of Colorado College, Alexis Dimanche of Southwestern University, Garrett Garza of Texas Lutheran University and Jordan Pitts of Trinity University.
To be nominated, student-athletes must have completed intercollegiate eligibility in his primary sport by the end of the 2020 spring season, received his undergraduate degree prior to the conclusion of the summer 2020 term and had a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.500 (4.000 scale).
The 2020 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 five finalists:
Taylor Wells, Centenary College
Men's Golf
- Four-Time SCAC Academic Honor Roll Honoree (2017-2020)
- Men’s Varsity Golf (2017-20)
- Pi Sigma Alpha Honor Society
- Phi Alpha Theta Honors Society
- Omicron Delta Kappa Honors Society
- Alpha Chi National College Honor Society
- Four-Time Centenary Dean’s List (2017-20)
- Honor Court (2019-20 – Associate Justice)
- Centenary Veterans Alliance (2017-20 – President 2018-20)
- Louisiana State Exhibit Museum (2019 – Student Intern)
- Louisiana Food Bank (2017)
- Renzi Arts Center (2019)
- Fuller Center for Housing (2020)
Tony Calderon, Colorado College
Men’s Cross Country and Track & Field
- Graduated as a Organismal Biology & Ecology major with a 3.79 GPA
- Seven-Time SCAC Academic Honor Roll Honoree (2016-19 – Cross Country / 2017-19 Track & Field)
- SCAC Cross Country Runner of the Year (2019)
- Cross Country All-West Region Honor (2019)
- Three-Time Colorado College Cross Country Team Captain (2017-19)
- Two-Time Colorado College Cross Country MVP (2018-19)
- Four-Time All SCAC Honors in Cross Country (2016-19)
- Individual Qualifier for 2018 NCAA Div. III Cross Country National Meet
- Two-Time SCAC Team Champion in Cross Country (2016, 2020)
- Colorado College Track & Field Team Captain (2017)
- Two-Time SCAC 10K Champion (2018-19)
- SCAC 5K Champion (2019)
- SCAC All-Conference Honors in the 5K (2018)
- Colorado College Track & Field MVP (2019)
- Van Diest Award Winner (CC Top Male & Female Student Athlete, 2020)
- Crown-Goodman Presidential Scholarship (2019)
- Colorado College Dean’s List (2016-17, 2019-20)
- Open Bible Medical Clinic – Spanish Interpreter, Eligibility Specialist (2018-20)
- UC Health Memorial Hospital – Emergency Department Volunteer (2019-20)
Alexis Dimanche, Southwestern University
Men's Tennis
- Graduated as a Physics major with a 3.94 GPA
- Four-Time SCAC Academic Honor Roll Honoree (2017-20)
- Two-Time SCAC Elite 19 Award Winner (2019-20)
- Southwestern Men’s Tennis Team Captain (2020)
- ITA National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership and Sportsmanship Award (2020)
- CoSIDA Academic All-District First-Team Honors (2019-20)
- SCAC Newcomer of the Year (2017)
- SCAC Player of the Year (2018)
- Three-Time All-SCAC Honors (2017-19)
- SCAC All-Tournament Team – Singles (2018)
- SCAC All-Tournament Team – Doubles (2019)
- ITA Player to Watch in the West Region (2018)
- NCAA Div. III Singles Qualifier (2018)
- NCAA All-American (2018)
- Five-Time SCAC Player of the Week (2017-19)
- SCAC Doubles Team of the Week (2019)
- SCAC Character and Community Award Recipient (2019)
- Recipient of three King Creativity Grants (2017-19)
- Awarded Two National Science Foundation Stipends to conduct Biomedical Engineering Summer Research at Major Universities (2018-19)
- Southwestern University Dean’s List – Eight Semesters (2016-20)
- Southwestern University Physics Club (2017-20) – Club Treasurer (2018), Club President (2019)
- Member of Kappa Alpha Order Xi Chapter (2017-20) – Treasurer (2018), Recruiting Chair (2019)
- Student Athletic Advisory Committee (2016-18)
- Member of Student Foundation at Southwestern (2017-20)
- Relay for Life from the American Cancer Society – Accountant (2017)
- Volunteer at the Georgetown, Texas Boys & Girls Club (2018)
Garrett Garza, Texas Lutheran University
Men's Track & Field
- Graduated as a History Major with a 2.72 GPA
- Three-Sport Athlete – Indoor Track & Field (2017-20), Outdoor Track & Field (2016-19), Football (2016-19)
- Football Team Captain (2018-19)
- Indoor Track & Field Team Captain (2018-20)
- Outdoor Track & Field Team Captain (2018-19)
- First-Team D3Football.com All-American (2019)
- Four-Time Outdoor Track & Field All-SCAC – Shot Put (2016-19)
- Three-Time SCAC Outdoor Track & Field Shot Put Champion (2017-19)
- Three-Time SCAC Outdoor Track & Field Team Champion (2017-19)
- Four-Time USTFCCCA All-Region Indoor Track & Field Honors (2017-20)
- Two-Time USTFCCCA Indoor Track & Field All-American Honoree (2019-20)
- USTFCCCA Outdoor Track & Field All-American (2019)
- NCAA Div. III National Runner-Up – Shot Put (2019)
- South/Southeast Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year (USTFCCCA) – 2020
- Salvation Army Bell Ringing (2015-19)
- Special Olympics Day at TLU (2018-19)
- Day of the Dogs Service Day (2015-19)
Jordan Pitts, Trinity University
Men's Tennis
- Graduated as a Business Administration major with a 3.43 GPA
- Trinity Men’s Tennis Team Captain (2018-20)
- Four-Time SCAC Academic Honor Roll Honoree (2016-20)
- ITA All-American (2018)
- Nine-Time SCAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Week (2016-20)
- NCAA Div. III Singles Qualifier (2018-19)
- SCAC All-Sportsmanship Team (2020)
- Three-Time SCAC Men’s Tennis Team Champion (2016-19)
- Three-Time NCAA Div. III Men’s Tennis Team Qualifier (2016-19)
- ITA Doubles Grass Court Champion (2018)
- Three-Time All SCAC Honors (2017-19)
- Three-Time SCAC All-Tournament Team Honors – Singles (2017-19)
- Two-Time SCAC All-Tournament Team Honors – Doubles (2018-19)
- Tennis Kids Day – Volunteer (2016-20)
- Hurricane Harvey Relief – Volunteer (2017)
- Boots on the Court – Volunteer (2018-19)
- San Antonio Tennis Special Olympics – Volunteer (2019-20)
