GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Conference Carolinas Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) announced the inaugural winners for the Conference Carolinas SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year. Avery Congleton of Mount Olive and Clayton Zimmerman of Belmont Abbey were selected from a deep class of nominees.

Congleton, a field hockey captain for the Trojans earned first team All-American honors as well as South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the year in the fall. She was also a two-time first team all-conference selection and three-time NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad honoree.

Off the field, Congleton volunteered at numerous Mount Olive athletic events as well as the Pickle Festival and the Mount Olive Center Genesis Healthcare Nursing Home. She was responsible for the majority of the campus SAAC events at Mount Olive and served as the vice president of SAAC in 2023-24.

Zimmerman helped the Crusader men’s volleyball program to a pair of Conference Carolinas titles in 2024 and an NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship appearance. Not only is Zimmerman a captain of the men’s volleyball program and the SAAC President, but he serves as the Lead Student Residence Live RA and an assistant coach for the Belmont Abbey women’s volleyball program.

He is also very active in the community as he leads Conference Carolinas and is ranked 21st by Helper Helper in NCAA Division II in Make-A-Wish dollars earned. He has logged more than 20,000 hours in community service in five years with more than 5,300 hours coming during the 2023-24 academic year.

The SAAC Student-Athlete of the Year (one male and one female) is voted and awarded each April with the award being recognized again at the in-person SAAC meeting each September. Nominees must be a member of Conference Carolinas SAAC. The winners are voted on by each campus SAAC.