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Southern Conference Announces Male and Female Athletes of the Year
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ASHEVILLE, NC - The Southern Conference announced today the Male and Female Athlete of the Year as selected by the conference athletic directors and selected members of the media. Appalachian State's Mary Jayne Harrelson received the Female Athlete of the Year award while Furman's Louis Ivory was selected for the Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year award.
Harrelson, a distance runner from Timberlake, NC, receives the athlete of the year honor for the second time in her career. She won the 2000 SoCon Cross Country individual championship, won two events at the 2001 conference indoor meet and three outdoor titles. She qualified for the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor meets and finaled in the indoor mile at the NCAA meet. Harrelson is the top ranked athlete in the 1500-meters and fourth in the 800-meters heading into the NCAA Outdoor meet, set for May 30-June 2 at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. She is the 1999 NCAA 1500-meters champion and finished fifth and sixth respectively in the 1500-meters and 800-meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Ivory, a running back from Fort Valley, GA, is the only SoCon athlete (male or female) to earn national player-of-the-year honors as the recipient of the 2000 Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in NCAA I-AA football. Ivory was a consensus All-America selection and consensus Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year. He became the first player in conference and South Carolina state history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and led the nation in rushing. Ivory helped pace the Paladins to a 9-3 record, an NCAA I-AA playoff appearance and final No. 10 national ranking. Ivory is the seventh Furman athlete to receive the conference athlete of the year award.
The Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year award is named for the late Bob Waters, who was Western Carolina's head football coach from 1977-88.
Harrelson, a distance runner from Timberlake, NC, receives the athlete of the year honor for the second time in her career. She won the 2000 SoCon Cross Country individual championship, won two events at the 2001 conference indoor meet and three outdoor titles. She qualified for the NCAA Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor meets and finaled in the indoor mile at the NCAA meet. Harrelson is the top ranked athlete in the 1500-meters and fourth in the 800-meters heading into the NCAA Outdoor meet, set for May 30-June 2 at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field in Eugene, OR. She is the 1999 NCAA 1500-meters champion and finished fifth and sixth respectively in the 1500-meters and 800-meters at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Ivory, a running back from Fort Valley, GA, is the only SoCon athlete (male or female) to earn national player-of-the-year honors as the recipient of the 2000 Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in NCAA I-AA football. Ivory was a consensus All-America selection and consensus Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year. He became the first player in conference and South Carolina state history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season and led the nation in rushing. Ivory helped pace the Paladins to a 9-3 record, an NCAA I-AA playoff appearance and final No. 10 national ranking. Ivory is the seventh Furman athlete to receive the conference athlete of the year award.
The Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year award is named for the late Bob Waters, who was Western Carolina's head football coach from 1977-88.