ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum College's Erin Mills has been named the 2016 South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year announced league officials Tuesday.
Mills earns this award for the first time in her career and marks the sixth time a Pioneer has earned the league's honor which recognizes academic achievement, athletic accomplishment, community service and leadership. The SAC Scholar Athlete Award is presented to one male and one female student-athlete in each of the conference's 18 championship sports. The awards are selected by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee.
Mills, a native of Duluth, Georgia, graduated from Tusculum last weekend with a 3.76 cumulative grade point average while majoring in economics and international business. She has been named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll all four years at Tusculum and earned a spot on the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll and Dean's List all four years at TC. Mills was also tabbed an ITA Scholar-Athlete during her years as a Pioneer.
"Erin's successes both on and off the court are a direct reflection of her commitment to excellence in everything she does," said TC head coach Adam Jackson. "She is truly a dedicated, hard-working, exceptional student-athlete, and this is a well-deserved honor. Erin embodies all the traits we are looking for in our student-athletes at Tusculum."
Mills went 16-7 in singles this season, including a 7-4 mark in South Atlantic Conference play. She finished 20-4 in doubles with a 10-1 mark in SAC matches. For her career, Mills was 57-26 in singles and 65-16 in doubles, while helping the Pioneers to a 38-4 record in the SAC during her four years at Tusculum.
Mills was named the 2013 SAC Freshman of the Year and took home the SAC Women's Tennis Tournament Most Valuable Player honor during the 2014 season. She earned All-Conference accolades three straight years and was named the Astroturf Player of the Week four times in her career. She closed her career out on the court as a team captain this past season.
Mills is very active in the community as she has volunteered Greene County Humane Society and the Brain Rehabilitation Facility every year at Tusculum. She has also assisted with "Project Tennis in Schools" and the Greene County Ministerial Alliance Food Bank.
Mills has been a member of the Tusculum College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee all four years at Tusculum and taught a personal finance class as a junior and senior. An assisted living volunteer, she was very involved with the Tusculum Tennis Adopt a Family program.
This marks the sixth time since 2003 which a Pioneer has earned this honor as Mills joins fellow SAC Women's Tennis Scholar Athletes Lesley Murray (2003, 2004), Jobria McCracken (2005), Blake Thompson (2011) and Kate Hutchinson (2015).
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