July 12, 2011

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Track and Field standout Darius Law and defender Megan Minnix of Charlotte have been named the Atlantic 10 Conference male and female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference's director of athletics.

With this year's Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, Charlotte becomes the first A-10 institution to claim both the male and female citations in consecutive years, as 49ers' alums Corey Nagy and Hailey Beam secured the honors in 2009-10.

"I commend all of our exceptional student-athletes, especially the nominees for this year's Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards" stated Atlantic 10 Conference Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade. All 26 nominees truly exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete in the A-10 - through their character, in the classroom and in competition."

During his time in the Queen City, Law was a 26-time Atlantic 10 champion in track and field and helped the 49ers to five Atlantic 10 Championship crowns. Arguably one of the A-10's most accomplished student-athletes, Law also garnered the league's Most Outstanding Performer honors on three separate occasions and earned both of the A-10's indoor and outdoor Rookie of the Year awards in 2008. An All-American in the 400-meters, he qualified to compete in the event in 2011 NCAA Championship and became the only athlete to qualify for both the 200-and 400-meters at the 2010 NCAA Championship. Law was also only one of six 49ers' student-athletes in school history to combine athletic All-America honors with Academic All-America honors.

In the classroom, Law was a five-time Atlantic 10 Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year honoree and a three-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America recipient, while garnering the 2010 Arthur Ashe Jr., Male Sports Scholar Athlete of the Year award. The Raleigh, N.C., native also served as the Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, spearheaded several community service projects and campus charity campaigns, including those benefitting Samaritan's Feet and Toys for Tots and served as a motivational speaker for troubled youth. Law maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during his college career while majoring in business management.

Minnix, a three-time All-Conference selection, propelled Charlotte to a trio of A-10 regular season crowns (2007-08, 2010), two A-10 Championship titles (2007-08) and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament (2007-08). She concluded her career at Charlotte ranked first in games played (87), games started (86) and minutes played (7081), while anchoring a tenacious 49ers' defense that combined for 46 shutouts over four years. Minnix, who started all but one game during her time at Charlotte, was also named to the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team.

Off the field, Minnix garnered the A-10's 2010 Women's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year award, was named to the 2010 NSCAA Scholar All-America second team and was a two-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-District selection (2009-10). The three-time A-10 Academic All-Conference recipient (2008-10) compiled a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average during her four-year tenure at Charlotte while majoring in marketing.

About the Award
The Atlantic 10 Conference honors one male and one female student-athlete as its Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Each of the league's 14 member institutions nominates one male and one female student-athlete from their respective campuses for consideration. Each candidate must be a starter or important reserve on his/her team and have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). Voting is conducted among the A-10's directors of athletics.

2010-11 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES
Charlotte - Darius Law (Track & Field) / Megan Minnix (Soccer)
Dayton - Chris Lemon (Cross Country) / Ashley Cattran (Track & Field)
Duquesne - Stephan Lundberg (Soccer) / Samantha Pollino (Basketball)
Fordham - Jen Mineau (Softball)
George Washington - Erik Hannah (Tennis) / Megan Hogan (Cross Country)
La Salle - Ryan Richter (Soccer) / Holly Biro (Swimming)
Massachusetts - Sean Busch (Track & Field) / Samantha Schnoerr (Rowing)
Rhode Island - Michael Tanke (Soccer) / Jenessa Redfern (Rowing)
Richmond - Matt Llano (Cross Country/Track & Field) / Brittani Shells (Basketball)
St. Bonaventure - Kevin Okapal (Soccer) / Nicole Markert (Soccer)
Saint Joseph's - Jared Sabre (Track & Field) / Danielle Brady (Rowing)
Saint Louis - Hailee Elmore (Tennis)
Temple - Andrew Mason (Golf) / Samantha Schoell (Softball)
Xavier - Tommy Kauffman (Cross Country/Track & Field) / Chelsea Campbell (Volleyball)

PREVIOUS SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Year - Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year / Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2010-11 - Darius Law, CHA (Track & Field) / Megan Minnix, CHA (Soccer)
2009-10 - Corey Nagy, CHA (Golf) / Hailey Beam, CHA (Soccer)
2008-09 - Zack Simmons, UM (Soccer) / Theresa Lisch, SLU (Basketball)
2007-08 - Randy Moley, SBU (Baseball) / Lindsey Ozimek, CHA (Soccer)
2006-07 - John DiRaimondo, SLU (Soccer) / Jane Daniels, CHA (Cross Country/Track)
2005-06 - Mike Ambrose, CHA (Baseball) / Kristen Clary, XU (Tennis)
2004-05 - Rob Altenau, UD (Tennis) / Lauren Clary, XU (Tennis)
2003-04 - Kwesi Frimpong-Boateng, UM (Track & Field) / Erin Treadway, UD (Volleyball)
2002-03 - Matt Osborne, GW (Soccer) / Brandi Cross, UM (Softball)
2001-02 - Bill Phillips, SJU (Basketball) / Susan Moran, SJU (Basketball)
2000-01 - Kevin Kirkby, SJU (Baseball) / Taru Tuukkanen, XU (Basketball)
1999-00 - Mark Schulte, UD (Soccer) / Cindy Vojtech, FOR (Volleyball/Rowing)
1998-99 - John Wolyniec, FOR (Soccer) / Elena Gomez, LAS (Track & Field)
1997-98 - Brian Gallagher, LAS (Track & Field) / Korie Hlede, DUQ (Basketball)
1996-97 - Brian Schaller, LAS (Baseball) / Heidi Lombardo, TU (Volleyball)
1995-96 - Maurice Schilten, XU (Soccer) / Svetlana Vtyurina, GW (Volleyball), Sue Yagielski, SJU (Cross Country/Track)
1994-95 - Bob Donker, WVU (Cross Country/Track) / Darlene Saar, GW (Basketball)
1993-94 - Kori Hunter, RU (Soccer) / Vicki Boyer, SJU (Cross Country/Track), Caroline DeRoose, RU (Basketball)
1992-93 - Randal Pinkett, RU (Track & Field) / Tammy Marshall, UM (Gymnastics)
1991-92 - Matt Schubert, WVU (Baseball) / Rosemary Kosiorek, WVU (Basketball)
1990-91 - Mike Tobin, UM (Baseball) / Rosemary Kosiorek, WVU (Basketball)

About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976 and celebrates its 35th anniversary as a Division I Conference in 2010-11. Currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsoring 21 championship sports, the mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.