Grant Lohmeier of Belmont Abbey Selected Comeback Athlete of the Year Presented by Vernon Graphics & Promotions
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Grant Lohmeier of Belmont Abbey has been selected as the Conference Carolinas Comeback Athlete of the Year Presented by Vernon Graphics & Promotions for the 2022-23 academic year.
Lohmeier was hit in the face with a pitch late in February of 2022. He fractured his mandible requiring reconstruction and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) break surgery. In total, he had three surgeries. Lohmeier had his jaw wired for four weeks and he had two large bars, two plates and a total of 18 screws to hold his facial bones in place while they healed. Complications with healing led to a large skin graft as well as an additional procedure to remove some of the hardware (one plate and four screws remain to this day).
The senior left-handed pitcher from Cincinnati, Ohio came back in 2023 strongly. As a member of Belmont Abbey’s regular weekend rotation, Lohmeier is currently 7-0 on the 2023 season in 58.0 innings pitched. He has 60 strikeouts and opponents are hitting just .251 against him this season.
The Comeback Athlete of the Year award recognizes a student-athlete who participates in a conference-sponsored sport, suffers a significant injury and comes back to make significant contributions to their team after recovering. The award is presented annually.
The head athletic trainer from each Conference Carolinas member institution submits one nominee each based on the award criteria. The head athletic trainers then select the winner.
Comeback Athlete of the Year Presented by Vernon Graphics & Promotions Award Winners
2014: Amber Weaver (Barton)
2015: Nolan Albrecht (Belmont Abbey)
2016: Avery Wallis (Lees-McRae)
2017: No selection
2018: Trey Matthews (Southern Wesleyan)
2019: Zack Bowers (Erskine)
2020: Jordan Blake (Barton), Alexis Rogers (Belmont Abbey), Faith Flanagan (Erskine), Jordan Floyd (King), Katie Lysaght (Lees-McRae), Jarrett Malone (Limestone), DJ Brooks (North Greenville)
2021: Kiara Burke (Mount Olive)
2022: Ali Davis (Mount Olive)
2023: Grant Lohmeier (Belmont Abbey)