June 16, 2008
Contact: Mike Christie, Assistant Commissioner

Pacifico and Poindexter Win Don Scalf Award

(FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.) - Each year the USA South Athletic Conference presents its most prestigious awards by honoring one male and one female as the Student-Athletes of the Year as these athletes receive the Don Scalf Award. The 2008 winners are Greensboro College women's tennis player Carrie Pacifico and Greensboro College baseball player Daniel Poindexter. To be eligible for the Don Scalf Award a student-athlete must be either a junior or senior, have participated in a USA South sport earning at least All-Conference recognition and have a minimum 3.00 GPA. The athletic directors vote for the award winner each spring at the conclusion of all Conference schedules.

This award is named in honor of Don Scalf, whose commitment to the student-athlete, guardianship of the value of academic achievement and devotion to the principles of Division III athletics set a standard that holds steadfast in the Conference today. He taught for 36 years and coached for 18 at N.C. Wesleyan College. He also served as Athletic Director at N.C. Wesleyan for six years. During his coaching career his teams won Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference basketball and golf championships. In addition, he was a founding father of the DIAC in 1963 and served as its Secretary-Treasurer for 25 years.

Carrie Pacifico - Greensboro

         

Throughout her four years at Greensboro, Pacifico has succeeded on the tennis court and in the classroom. While earning a 3.75 cumulative grade point average, Pacifico was recently named to the USA South Academic All-Conference Team for the fourth time and earned 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American honors. She has appeared on GC's Dean's List numerous times and collected numerous academic honors during her academic career. This year alone, Pacifico earned the Harold H. Hutson Award, which is highest attainable award to graduating senior at Greensboro College, and the Craven E. Williams Scholar Athlete Award, which recognizes The Pride's top female student-athlete. As a senior tennis player for The Pride, Pacifico was a First Team All-Conference performer all four seasons and a three-time USA South Player of the Year. In addition, Pacifico was a team captain for three years and a three-time team MVP. Pacifico also gave time to the Greensboro community by serving as a student-athlete mentor and a volunteer for the Greensboro Sports Commission and the State Games of North Carolina.

Daniel Poindexter - Greensboro

         

At Greensboro, Poindexter has excelled both on and off the baseball diamond. In the classroom, the senior graduated Magna Cum Laude this spring with a 3.86 grade point average. He received his second consecutive USA South All-Academic Team honor this season and was named a 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. Poindexter earned a place on Greensboro's Dean's List and earned the Mary L. Ginn Award for excellence in English. Athletically, Poindexter received USA South First Team All-Conference honors this past year as a first baseman. In addition, he received ABCA Rawlings Second Team All-Region accolades. This past spring, Poindexter tied The Pride's single-season record with a .433 batting average and was named team MVP. Poindexter volunteered his time for many organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, the Angel Tree Network and the West Forsyth Jr. Legion baseball team.