FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
(540) 365-4306

June 21, 2007

(from USA South release)


Paine Earns USA South Athletic Conference's Highest Honor

FERRUM, Va. - 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 2007 winners are Christopher Newport University women's soccer player Ashley Glover and Ferrum College men's tennis player Wilson Paine.

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 Dixie Conference in 1963 and served as its Secretary-Treasurer for 25 years.

In 2006, softball player Kim Cox was the first-ever Ferrum student-athlete to earn the Don Scalf Award.  Cox was also a nominee in 2007.

Paine has excelled both on and off the tennis court. In the classroom, the senior graduated Summa Cum Laude this spring with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. He received his fourth consecutive USA South All-Academic Team honor this season and was named a 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American. This year, Paine served as Ferrum's Student Government Association President and received the Ferrum College Senior Leadership Award.  Paine appeared on the Dean’s List every semester, received several scholarships and served on many campus academic boards.

Athletically, Paine received USA South Honorable Mention All-Conference honors this past year. He was honored as the team's Most Valuable Player and served as their team captain for the second consecutive season. Paine was named an Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Scholar-Athlete for the third consecutive season, the first Ferrum men's tennis player to achieve this accomplishment.  He holds school records for season singles winning percentage (.882, 15-2 in 2006) and singles win streak (15 matches in 2004).

With his collegiate career behind him, Paine has chosen to continue his education at Harvard University Divinity School where he will be enrolled this fall.  Paine is the son of Lisa Brown and Tom Paine of Maryville, Tennessee.  He is a 2003 graduate of Maryville High School.  For more information, please contact the Ferrum College Sports Information Office at (540) 365-4306.
 

# # #