Tuesday, 04/19/2011

Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University senior Braeden Patchell is the 2011 SAC Scholar-Athlete Award winner for men’s tennis, league officials announced Tuesday afternoon. Bulldog head coach Michael Cabana is the SAC men’s tennis Coach of the Year, as selected by the league’s 10 head coach. Three Wingate student-athletes were named to the All-SAC first team.

Juniors Matthew Lichtenstein (Darnestown, Md.), Flavio Rathsam (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and Drew Owen (Kitchener, Ontario) received first team All-SAC laurels. Lichtenstein and Rathsam are repeat performers, while Owen receives All-SAC distinction for the first time in his career.

Patchell is a senior majoring in Biology, with minors in Chemistry and Psychology. He carries a solid 3.724 GPA. Patchell is the second Wingate men’s tennis student-athlete to earn the SAC Scholar-Athlete Award. Marius Dan (Hunedoara, Romania) received the award three times from 2002 to 2004.

On the courts, Patchell is a three-time All-SAC choice. He possesses a career singles record of 47-25, including a 27-5 slate against conference opponents. This year, he is 12-5 in singles with an 8-1 ledger against league foes. As a sophomore, he was 13-4 in singles with a perfect 8-0 mark against SAC competition. Patchell and his teammates have won two SAC titles during his career. In addition, they have received one bid to the NCAA Division II tournament (2009).

In the community, Patchell volunteers with a local hospital and a cardiac rehabilitation program. He reads to geriatric patients, helps with meal distribution and assists nurses with general housekeeping. Among his duties at the YMCA Cardiac Rehab program, Patchell assists doctors and nurses with taking patients’ blood pressures before rehab sessions. He monitors and records patients’ progress during various cardio exercises and assists patients in measuring and recording heart rates during exercise. He has also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity on three projects.

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete Award recognizes one student-athlete in each of its 14 sports programs and represents a combination of athletic skill, academic achievement and participation in community service and leadership. The award is selected by the league’s Faculty Athletic Representatives.

This year, Cabana has led his men’s team to its second SAC regular season championship in school history. The Bulldogs also won the 2009 crown. In 2011, the Bulldogs are currently ranked number 11 in the region and number 39 nationally.  His team was a perfect 9-0 in the SAC this year, with five different players receiving SAC Player of the Week honors.

The Bulldogs have defeated three nationally-ranked teams this year: Anderson, S.C. (29), Limestone (35) and Lincoln Memorial (47). They lost a close 5-4 match to number 12 Georgia College. In his first season with the Wingate men’s team, the Bulldogs finished seventh in the SAC. In five years, his teams have finished seventh, fourth, first, second and first. In 2010, Wingate finished second behind regionally and nationally-ranked Lincoln Memorial.

Lichtenstein is ranked number 36 in the Campbell/ITA NCAA Division II national singles rankings. The number 12 player in the Southeast Region singles top 20, Lichtenstein is 15-4 overall at the number one singles position this year. He is 6-3 in SAC contests. In doubles, Lichtenstein and Patchell are 14-3 overall at the number two flight. The duo is a perfect 9-0 in league matches.

Both Lichtenstein and Rathsam have earned All-SAC honors two years in a row. Rathsam is 15-4 overall in singles this year, playing at the number three position. In SAC contests, he is 7-2 overall. For his singles career, he is 44-6 overall and 22-2 in the SAC. Rathsam won 22 consecutive SAC matches before dropping the final two of the 2011 campaign.

Owen plays number two singles and number one doubles for the Bulldogs. In singles, he is 14-4 overall and 7-2 in the SAC this year. For his career, Owen is 35-13 overall and 18-5 in the SAC. With Rathsam, Owen provides the Bulldogs with a solid number one doubles team. The pair are 10-8 overall this year, with a 4-5 ledger in SAC play.

Wingate, Anderson (S.C.) University and Brevard College led the way with three All-SAC selections each. Lincoln Memorial University sophomore Philipp Hoffmann is the SAC Player of the Year. He went undefeated in conference play at number one singles. Brevard College’s Sam MacNeil was the league’s Freshman of the Year. MacNeil was also undefeated in SAC play.