ASU’s Verbeelen, Lander’s Bell Named PBC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Augusta State’s Angii Verbeelen and
Lander’s Martyn Bell have been named the Peach Belt
Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2008-09 at a special
awards banquet at the league’s annual meetings. Verbeelen and
Bell were chosen by the conference’s Faculty Athletics
Representatives, who looked at information on each candidate and
based their vote on 50% academic accomplishment, 30% athletic
acheivement and 20% leadership qualities. The scholar-athlete award
is the highest individual award presented by the Peach Belt.
Verbeelen graduated from Augusta State this May with a degree in
kinesiology and health science. A native of Melrose, Fla., she
served as the team captain in 2009 and was president of the ASU
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In the fall, she
developed the campus-wide student-athlete community service day as
well as volunteered at Shands Hospital Arts and Healing Program at
the University of Florida. Verbeelen has also given her time to the
Special Olympics, a local nursing home, and children’s cancer
care center while tutoring other college students and instructing
at softball camps.
She graduated with a 3.92 GPA and was named the Tommy Werrick
Female Student-Athlete of the Year at ASU. She was named to the
Dean’s List in 2007 and 2008, Athletic Director’s Honor
Roll in 08 and 09 and a PBC Presidential Silver Scholar in 2008. On
the field, the senior hit .321 for the Lady Jaguars in 2009. In two
years on the team, she has a career .302 average and was ranked
nationally among the toughest to strike out, with only 13 in two
years. She started 87 games in her two-year career, committing only
two errors. This season, she helped ASU reach the NCAA tournament
where they advanced to the sub-regional final. Verbeelen returned
to her native Florida where she plans to return to school to become
a physician’s assistant.
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| Lander president Dr. Daniel Ball (L) joins FAR Betty Williams and AD Jeff May in accepting the student-athlete of the year award on behalf of Martyn Bell on Tuesday night. |
Martyn Bell graduated from Lander Unviersity with degrees in
Accounting and Spanish after carrying a double major. A native of
Cleveland, England, Bell carried a 3.92 GPA in his years at Lander.
He received the Spanish Discipline Award in 2008 and was named to
the President’s List and Dean’s List each semester in
school. Bell also received a team soccer Academic Award three times
and was named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll five times and the
PBC Soccer All-Academic team last fall. In addition, he has
organized fundraisers and community service activities, a portion
of the funds went to support with the Burton Center, a facility for
people with disabilites and special needs in Greenwood.
On the field, Bell was named first-team All-Conference in 2008,
playing the Bearcat defense. He started in all 18 games, scoring
two goals with four assists. He tied a PBC Tournament
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| Augusta State president Dr. William Bloodworth (L) joins SWA Maxine Maloney and other members of the Jaguar athletic department in accepting the student-athlete of the year award on behalf of Angii Verbeelen. |
record with three assists in one game and scored the first goal in LU’s 3-1 win over USC Aiken in the PBC semifinals. Under Bell’s direction, Lander had the best scoring defense in the PBC with only 1.05 goals allowed per game and the team was tied for the league lead in shutouts with eight. After interning this spring at an accounting firm, Bell will attend the University of Georgia to earn his master’s degree in accounting.
PBC Scholar-Athletes of the Year
| Year | Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year | Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year |
| 2007-08 | Mandy Gerolstein (USC Aiken) | Aaron Clark (GCSU) |
| 2006-07 | Natalie Dies (UNC Pembroke) | Christopher Horton-Cook (Georgia Southwestern) |
| 2005-06 | Katie Stokes (UNC Pembroke) | Lee Nejberger (UNC Pembroke) |
| 2004-05 | Jennifer Howard (Francis Marion) | David Hartigan (North Florida) |
| 2003-04 | Sarah Kendrick (USC Aiken) | Greg Mason (Kennesaw State) |
| 2002-03 | Megan Jordan (Lander) | Brian Young (UNC Pembroke) |
| 2001-02 | Thea Moen (USC Upstate) | Brian Vahjen (Lander) |
| 2000-01 | Rachel Boyer (USC Upstate) |
|
| 1999-98 | Heather Duncan (Francis Marion) | Lutz Perner (Francis Marion) |
| 1998-99 |
| Kyle Pifer (Francis Marion) |
| 1997-98 | Michelle Miller (Columbus State) | Tomas Arlia (GCSU) |
| 1996-97 | Christine White (UNC Pembroke) | Anders Nilsson (UNC Pembroke) |
| 1995-96 | Erin Moe (Augusta State) | Max Lins (Lander) |
| 1994-95 | Teresa Tyson (Kennesaw State) | Sundar Raman (Armstrong Atlantic St.) |
| 1993-94 | Michel Turner (Kennesaw State) | Ed Reevey (USC Aiken) |
| 1992-93 | Emily Chambers (Columbus State) | Lars Linblom (GCSU) |
| 1991-92 | Martha Cobo (USC Upstate) | Jeff Huberty (Augsuta State) |