ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University's Annie McCullough has been named the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year.
The SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the conference's championship sports and is selected by the league's faculty athletic representatives committee. Winners are selected based on their achievements in academics and athletics.
This marks the fourth time in five years and eighth time overall that a Tusculum women's tennis player has earned SAC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. McCullough joins an elite group which includes two-time selection Lesley Murray (2003 & 2004), Jobria McCracken (2005), Blake Thompson (2011), Katie Hutchinson (2015), Erin Mills (2016) and last year's winner Franziska Funke (2018).
McCullough, the 2019 SAC Player of the Year, becomes only the third women's tennis student-athlete to garner the sport's top-two honors in the same academic year joining TU's Lesley Murray (2003 & 2004) and Presbyterian College's Lauren Brown (2006 & 2007).
The junior from Belfast, Northern Ireland has a 3.98 cumulative grade point average while majoring in chemistry. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and is an ITA Scholar Athlete.
"Annie is a perfect example of everything we hope to see in a student-athlete here at Tusculum," said Tusculum head tennis coach Adam Jackson. "She works as hard as anyone on campus, both in the classroom and on the court, and her commitment to excellence is evident in her grades and her accomplishments as an athlete."
She is a three-time All-SAC selection in singles and a two-time first team honoree in doubles with her twin sister Caitlin. The McCulloughs are ranked 22nd nationally in doubles as the duo is 26-4 overall this season including 19-3 in dual matches. Annie owns a 27-5 singles mark this season including 18-4 in dual competition and went a perfect 10-0 in league play. She is ranked 33rd in the country in ITA singles and has improved her career singles record to an impressive 63-9 overall.
McCullough was named the Tusculum Female Athlete of the Year for a second straight season.
The Pioneers finished the season with a 17-4 overall record including 10-0 in league play to capture Tusculum's its sixth SAC Championship and first since 2010. TU finished runner-up at the SAC Tournament and earned a berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament for a third consecutive year and 11th time in program history.