Wednesday, January 25, 2012

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - - Belmont University men's basketball senior Mick Hedgepeth (Crossville, Ala.) has been named as one of 10 finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Hedgepeth, who ranks 11th on the Bruins' NCAA era career scoring list with 1,063 points, was the 2011 Atlantic Sun Tournament Most Valuable Player as Belmont went 30-5 and earned a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago. The Crossville, Ala. native has 52 career double figure scoring games and is second among active Atlantic Sun Conference players in career rebounds and fifth in career points.

Off the court, Hedgepeth holds a 3.71 GPA in his chosen major of study, accounting. The 6-9 forward was named 2010-11 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, 2010-11 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District and 2011 Belmont University Male Student-Athlete of the Year.

Hedgepeth is extremely active in the local community as the men's basketball representative on the Belmont Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and an annual participant in the Belmont Sports Evangelism Mission Trips.

Hedgepeth is the fifth Belmont student-athlete to be honored by the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award program, and third from men's basketball, joining Justin Hare (2008) and Andy Wicke (2009).

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.

The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 60 candidates announced in November.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an NCAA Division I league with 10 member institutions committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun meets the challenge of maintaining the highest standards in academic and athletic achievement with a true balance between student and athlete. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University. Northern Kentucky University will also become the newest member of the A-Sun on July 1, 2012.