Mick Hedgepeth Latest A-Sun Nominee for Lowe's Senior CLASS Award

It is gratifying when you find student-athletes that embody all that is good in collegiate athletics: academic and athletic excellence, leadership, loyalty, and commitment. That is why the Atlantic Sun Conference is proud to congratulate Mick Hedgepeth as a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award finalist for 2012.

The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award celebrates the loyalty of seniors that honor a four-year commitment to their university. The Senior CLASS Award recognizes these student-athletes for great achievement during competition and in their community while staying in school.

The Atlantic Sun Conference and its student-athletes embody those same ideals, celebrating the combination of academic and athletic achievement, leadership, and community involvement in their pursuit of Building Winners for Life.

Belmont’s Mick Hedgepeth is the ninth such A-Sun student-athlete to earn a Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award nomination and the fourth to qualify as a finalist. He follows FGCU’s Adam Glick, ETSU’s Paul Hoilman, USC Upstate’s Morgan Childers, Lipscomb’s Alex Kelly and four other Bruins (Justin Hale, Andy Wicke, Nate Woods and Cyrus Eaton) in his nomination for the award.

CLASSROOM
Hedgepeth has continued the Belmont tradition of excellence in the classroom. For the second consecutive year, he has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team. Along with those honors, he was recognized as the 2010-11 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Hedgepeth is a three-time Atlantic Sun Conference All-Academic honoree. He holds a 3.71 GPA in Accounting.

CHARACTER
Hedgepeth has embodied the ideals of character and integrity from the moment he stepped on Belmont’s campus. He has been the men’s basketball’s representative on Belmont University’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since his freshman year. He has also established a number of program records in strength and conditioning. Perhaps the best example of Hedgepeth’s heart, toughness and love of team came in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship. Early in the second half of a game, Hedgepeth suffered a significant knee injury and received treatment from athletic trainers. After several minutes, with a fellow post player in foul trouble and knowing that the game could be the last for several Belmont seniors, Hedgepeth received clearance and went back into the game with a cumbersome brace.

COMMUNITY
Hedgepeth has participated in Belmont Sports Evangelism Mission Trips to South Africa, Malta and Italy. He has also served as a tutor and activities leader at nearby Carter Lawrence Elementary in Nashville. When the historic floods struck Nashville in the spring of 2010, Hedgepeth worked with a team from Green Hills Church to strip houses and rebuild homes. Hedgepeth has also spearheaded Belmont’s annual Volunteer Youth Encouragement Services, including a program that collects and donates Christmas gifts to area children. Hedgepeth volunteered at Big Brothers Nashville and the 2010 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and has also served as a motivational speaker at area churches and schools.

COMPETITION
Hedgepeth has been an integral part of Belmont’s steady rise among the nation’s top mid-major college basketball programs. A consensus preseason All-Atlantic Sun selection in 2011-12, Hedgepeth is the reigning Atlantic Sun Championship MVP after leading the Bruins to a 30-5 record and a fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years. He has 53 double figure scoring games to his credit and is one of 11 Bruins of the NCAA era to score over 1,000 career points. Hedgepeth has helped the Bruins to sole possession of second place in the current A-Sun Men’s Basketball standings.

The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award is presented each year to the outstanding senior NCAA Division I Student-Athlete of the Year across ten different sports. The acronym “CLASS” stands for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®.

Award winners are determined by a selection process that includes NCAA Division I college coaches in each respective sport, national media, and fans. The voting process determines the winner in addition to a Senior CLASS All-America Team.

Public fan voting on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website takes place each year during the month leading up to the NCAA Championship.

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