
ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College junior Lukas Winkelmann has been selected as the 2013-14 South Atlantic Conference Men's Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year announced league officials Tuesday.
Winkelmann earns this honor for a second straight season,
becoming the first multiple winner of the award in school
history.
This marks the fifth time in the last six years that a Tusculum
men's tennis player has earned the award, which recognizes athletic
accomplishments, academic achievement, community service and
leadership. The award is selected by the faculty athletic
representatives of the league's 12 member institutions.
Winkelmann completes the sweep of the top two SAC tennis awards,
becoming the first SAC men's tennis player to earn Men's Tennis
Player of the Year and Scholar Athlete of the Year accolades in the
same year in back-to-back seasons.
The Boeblingen, Germany native posted a perfect 23-0 singles record
this year and is currently listed 10th in the Intercollegiate
Tennis Association Southeast Region singles rankings. Winkelmann
also posted a 20-3 record in doubles, including 19-2 with his
younger brother Jonas at the No. 1 flight.
In the classroom, Winkelmann sports a 3.97 cumulative grade point average as a pre-medicine major. He has earned selections to the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, the TC President's List, the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the ITA All-Academic Team.
He did not lose a set in singles in his 11 conference matches, and in the process became the first Tusculum player to be a two-time SAC Player of the Year and just the second in league history to win back-to-back Player of the Year awards.
Winkelmann has a 52-7 career singles record and has won 33 consecutive regular-season matches dating back to the middle of last year. He is a three-time All-SAC performer and was the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2012.
Winkelmann was named to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America® first team, becoming the first Tusculum sophomore to garner Academic All-America® first team distinction.
He is a three-time team most valuable player and is been named the Tusculum College Male Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
Winkelmann serves in numerous leadership roles, including as team captain and as a representative on the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. He has also volunteered with Tusculum fundraisers and assisted the school in hosting the 2012 SAC Cross Country Championship. He has volunteered with the local "Tennis in Schools" project, the Alphi Chi Angel Tree project, holiday adopt-a-family events, and with a local hospital.
"Lukas is one of those rare individuals who balance academics, athletics and personal life," said Tusculum head tennis coach Tommy Arnett. "Lukas has established himself as a leader among his peers in the classroom as well as on the tennis court. We are all very proud of Lukas and all of his accomplishments."
The Pioneers have an 18-5 record after earning runner-up honors at the South Atlantic Conference Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C. Tusculum will learn its NCAA II postseason fate on Tuesday night with the announcement of the national tournament field.
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