ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) -- The South Atlantic Conference Council of Athletic Directors has named Catawba’s Craig Brooks and Jade Montgomery from Wingate as the 2014-15 South Atlantic Conference Athletes of the Year, the League announced today.
Brooks, a right-handed pitcher from Monroe, N.C. (Parkwood HS), finished the 2015 season with a list of National Player of the Year credits to his resume. He earned the American Baseball Coaches’ Association’s Gold Bat award to go along with being named the ABCA’s National Pitcher of the Year. Brooks also earned the D2 Baseball News Brett Tomko and Josh Willingham Awards.
Brooks struck out a nation’s-best 158 hitters during the 2015 season and ranked No. 1 in the country with 14.36 strikeouts per nine innings. He also posted nine wins on the year to rank No. 18 in Division II. Brooks threw 99 innings in 2015 and held his opponents to just a .156 average at the plate. He surrendered just 16 earned runs during the year to rank No. 11 in Division II with an ERA of 1.45. Brooks was drafted in the seventh round by the Chicago Cubs with the 203rd overall pick after leading the Catawba Indians to the National Finals of the NCAA Division II College World Series.
Montgomery, a forward from Monroe N.C., becomes the first-ever athlete in South Atlantic Conference history to win the Athlete of the Year honor in three-straight years. She was also the first player in South Atlantic Conference history to earn three-straight women’s soccer Player of the Year honors.
Montgomery was named the NCAA Southeast Region Player of the Year after finishing the season ranked in the top 25 in the nation in four offensive categories. She closed out the season ranked No. 18 in Division II with 0.75 goals per contest, while her 1.80 points per game was good for No. 23 in the nation. She posted 15 goals on the season to rank No. 16 in the country to go along with 36 points to rank No. 22 in Division II. A three-time All-American, Montgomery earned NSCAA Disney Soccer National Player of the Week honors after finishing the week with five scores, including a hat trick against Coker on Oct. 8. She scored three multi-goal games this season and turned in a League-best 11 goals in South Atlantic Conference play.
Brooks’ award marks Catawba’s third male Athlete of the Year honor and second in three years. Montgomery picked up Wingate’s sixth overall women’s plaudit.
