GREENVILLE, S.C. – Conference Carolinas released the winners of its 2019 Fall Scholar-Athletes of the Year awards on Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019. 

The Scholar-Athlete awards are presented annually to one individual in each Conference Carolinas sponsored sport. The Scholar-Athlete of the Year winners are chosen by the Conference Carolinas Student-Athlete Affairs Committee. 

To be considered, a student-athlete must be a junior or a senior with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25 or higher. In addition, the nominees for the award must have been named all-conference in their sport and chosen academic all-conference. 

Both Tai Smith (men’s cross country) and Leah Hanle (women’s cross country) of Mount Olive earned the honor for the second consecutive year, while Kaytlin Elkins (women’s volleyball – Barton), Gianni Serio (men’s soccer – Belmont Abbey) and Morgan Patton (women’s soccer – Belmont Abbey) earned the honor for the first time. 

The 2019 Conference Carolinas Men’s Cross Country Runner of the Year, Smith is a senior psychology major from Glendale, Ariz. He boasts a 3.753 grade-point average.

A senior from Lichtenstein, Germany, Hanle recently closed out one of the most prolific careers in the history of Conference Carolinas. She won the NCAA Southeast Regional all four years of her college cross country career and she was named the 2019 U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Southeast Regional Athlete of the Year. In the classroom, Hanle owns a 3.752 grade-point average as a psychology major.

A native of Pembroke Pines, Fla., Serio was a Conference Carolinas first team member in 2019 as a midfielder. The senior Business Management major owns a 3.91 grade-point average.

A junior outside hitter from Hope Mills, N.C., Elkins is a three-time all-region and all-conference selection. She led Conference Carolinas women’s volleyball in kills per set at 4.16. Elkins is a Health Promotions and Nursing major who owns a 3.838 grade-point average. 

Patton was recently named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region Team after a tremendous senior campaign in which she was named all-conference and all-region. The Jacksonville, Fla. native is a psychology major at Belmont Abbey who owns a 3.62 grade-point average. 

2019 Conference Carolinas Fall Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Men’s Cross Country: Tai Smith, Mount Olive
Women’s Cross Country: Leah Hanle, Mount Olive
Women’s Volleyball: Kaytlin Elkins, Barton
Men’s Soccer: Gianni Serio, Belmont Abbey
Women’s Soccer: Morgan Patton, Belmont Abbey