Four Tusculum College student-athletes have been named to 2014-2015 Capital One Academic All-America® lists. They include David Cooper, who was named to the Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field team, Calley Lawson, who was named to the Women’s At-Large team, and men’s tennis team members Lukas Winkelmann and Jonas Winkelmann, who were named to the Men’s At-Large team.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.0, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) has bestowed Academic All-America® honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
The Capital One Division II and III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.
David Cooper
David Cooper
David Cooper has been named to the 2014-2015 Capital One Division II Academic All-America® Men’s Cross Country/Track & Field first team as selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Cooper garners Academic All-America® honors for a third time, earning first team distinction in each of the last two years and second team honors as a sophomore. He becomes only the third Tusculum student-athlete to earn Academic All-America® accolades three times. He joins Tusculum men’s tennis All-American Lukas Winkelmann, who was a three-time Academic All-America® first team choice from 2013-2015 and fellow TC cross country great Simon Holzapfel (2008-2011).
Cooper graduated from Tusculum in May with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average while majoring in biology. Cooper will be attending medical school at the East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City starting next month. He is working to become an orthopaedic surgeon.
The Greeneville, Tennessee native is a two-time South Atlantic Conference Men’s Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year honoree, becoming only the seventh two-time recipient of the award in league history. Cooper is a member of the Alpha Chi Honors Society and earned the Tusculum College President’s Award this spring. He was also the recipient Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award for a third consecutive year. In 2012, he was the winner of the Tusculum Freshman of the Year Academic Award.
On the course, Cooper was a three-time All-SAC selection earning first team honors in 2012 and finished eighth at the conference championship in each of the last two years to garner second team recognition. In 2011, he was named to the SAC All-Freshman Team and was a four-year team captain.
He accounted for one of the finest running careers in Tusculum history. He owns 10 of the top-25 running times (8,000 meters) in program history, including two in the top-10. His career-best 8K time of 26:02 at the 2014 Greater Louisville Classic is the fourth-lowest ever by a Pioneer. He recorded three individual wins in his career and led TC to a pair of team titles as well.
Cooper has been involved in numerous campus and community leadership roles, serving with the Nettie Day of Service, the Greene County YMCA, the TC Athletic Judicial Board and the Greene County Humane Society. He also served as president of the Pioneer Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was a past participant of the SAC Student-Athlete Leadership Conference.
Calley Lawson
Calley Lawson
Tusculum College women’s golfer Calley Lawson has been named to the 2015 Capital One NCAA Division II Academic All-America® Women’s At-Large third team.
Lawson becomes the second Tusculum women’s golfer to garner Academic All-America® distinction, joining former teammate Jillian Corum, who earned the honor in back-to-back seasons (2012, 2013).
Lawson, a native of Gaithersburg, Maryland, has a 4.00 cumulative grade point average while majoring in special education and early elementary education.
She posted an 86.21 stroke average, while competing in all 10 events this year, including a season-best eighth place showing at the inaugural Pioneer Classic.
At this year’s South Atlantic Conference championship, Lawson was named the 2015 recipient of the Bob Dibble Spirit of the Game Award, which is named in honor of the long-time Tusculum coach and is selected by the league’s women’s golf coaches. The award recognizes the SAC women’s golf team member that demonstrates a genuine love of the game, outstanding character, leadership and places team before self.
Lawson has been named to the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-America Scholar Team in each of the last three seasons and is also a two-time recipient of the Tusculum Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award.
In her rookie season, she was named the winner of the Tusculum Freshman of the Year Academic Award.
Lukas and Jonas Winkelmann
Lukas Winkelmann
Tusculum College men’s tennis student-athletes Lukas and Jonas Winkelmann have been named to the 2014-2015 Capital One Academic All-America® Men’s At-Large team.
Lukas Winkelmann garners Academic All-America® first team honors for a third consecutive year, while his brother Jonas Winkelmann makes his debut on the Academic All-America® squad, receiving third team recognition. This marks the first time in Tusculum and South Atlantic Conference history that two siblings have earned Academic All-America® distinction in the same academic year.
Lukas Winkelmann is the first Tusculum student-athlete to earn Academic All-America® honors on three occasions in a career. He was named this year’s recipient of the South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award, the most prestigious honor the league awards to its student-athletes.
In the classroom, the elder Winkelmann sported a 3.96 cumulative grade point average as a pre-medicine major. The three-time SAC Men’s Tennis Scholar Athlete of the Year graduated from Tusculum last month with summa cum laude honors.
Lukas Winkelmann finished the season ranked 19th in the ITA singles rankings, becoming the first player in program history to garner All-America distinction. He also becomes only the ninth SAC singles player to earn ITA All-America honors, fifth during the NCAA II era (since 1994) and the first since 1996. He finished the season with a perfect 18-0 singles record at the top flight and finished his collegiate career with a 50-match regular season winning streak.
He was named the SAC Men’s Tennis Player of the Year for a third consecutive season, becoming the first three-time winner in league history. He finished his collegiate career with a 70-7 singles record and was a four-time All-SAC performer and was the SAC Freshman of the Year in 2012.
Lukas Winkelmann was also named the 2014-15 Tusculum College Male Athlete of the Year, becoming the first three-time winner of the award in school history and only the second Tusculum student-athlete overall to be named Athlete of the Year three times.
Jonas Winkelmann
Jonas Winkelmann, who has just completed his junior campaign with the Pioneers, sports a 3.61 cumulative GPA and is majoring in business administration.
On the court, the younger Winkelmann has posted a 15-5 singles record, including 8-3 in league play to earn All-SAC honors for a third consecutive year. He owns a 47-13 career singles record and was selected as the SAC Player of the Week earlier this year. He is also 53-8 in doubles as a Pioneer.
The Winkelmann brothers earned a doubles spot on the All-SAC first team for a second-consecutive season. This season was another stellar year for the Pioneer duo as they compiled a perfect 19-0 record. Only two teams have won at least six games against them and they have won five matches by surrendering three or less games. The Winkelmanns finished the year listed ninth in the ITA Southeast Region doubles rankings.