Tusculum College's Julie Maples has been named the recipient of the 2004-05 South Atlantic Conference Presidents Award announced league officials. The announcement came following a vote of the league's faculty athletic representatives at the annual SAC Business Meeting in Asheville, N.C

Maples, a former member of the Pioneer women's basketball team becomes the first Tusculum student-athlete to receive this honor which recognizes those individuals who have made contributions with their teams, in the classroom and their communities.

Maples, a senior guard from Knoxville, Tenn., has a 3.99 cumulative grade point average while majoring in English Education. She was a three-time winner of the SAC Scholar Athlete Award for women's basketball, becoming the first student-athlete in league history to earn that prestigious honor on three occasions. She was named to the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll, the Tusculum Dean's List and President's List during her academic career. She was also a three-time selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Team.

On the court, Maples was a three-time All-Conference honoree and is the school's all-time leader in three-point field goals made (125) and finished with 1,346 career points. In 2001-02, she was tabbed to the SAC All-Freshman Team.

She is active in the community and on campus, volunteering for park and road clean-up events and Adopt-A-Family projects. Julie has worked at a Bible and sports camp and has conducted health and fitness demonstrations at local elementary schools. She has also served as vice president of the Tusculum Student Athlete Advisory Committee and is a English tutor and a tutor at the Adult Education Center.

The SAC Presidents Award is considered one of the most prestigious awards the conference offers to its student-athletes. It exemplifies the finest combined qualities of excellence in athletics, academics and community leadership. During the year, the South Atlantic Conference recognizes 14 Scholar Athletes, representing each of the conference-sponsored sports. The top male and female SAC Scholar Athletes from each represented member school are then nominated for the Presidents Award.

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