April 9, 2008

2007-08 Western Carolina Student-Athlete Awards

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina's Tyler Sexton was named the Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week today by the conference office. A standout on the Catamount baseball team, Sexton boasts a 3.986-grade point average and is majoring in Sport Management.

Each week, the SoCon selects its top student-athlete performance among those who also excel in the classroom. Sexton is the fourth Catamount to garner the honor this season joining volleyball sophomore Katie Hennessey (Oct. 17); women's basketball junior Lauren Powell (Dec. 19 & Jan. 8); and women's track & field senior Kerrie Savery (Jan. 18)

Sexton, a senior from High Point, N.C., posted a record of 1-0 last week in two relief appearances. He tossed 7.1 innings without allowing an earned run, scattering nine base hits while striking out 11.

On Tuesday, April 1, Sexton pitched three innings, holding the Bulldogs to just three hits while fanning six batters in a 13-6 win at Gardner-Webb. He threw 4.2 innings, giving up six hits, striking out five batters and allowed one unearned run in an 8-4 win over Davidson on Sunday helping the Catamounts sweep the conference series.

Sexton is a candidate for the baseball Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which honors excellence both on the field, in the classroom and in the community. The award was founded in 2001 honoring men's basketball players and has been expanded to incorporate additional NCAA sports including baseball, now in its second season.

Western Carolina returns to action this Friday through Sunday in SoCon action at Elon. Western swept the Phoenix last season in Cullowhee, winning 4-2, 4-3 and 5-4 in 10 innings in the finale. All three games will be broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network and can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee, or online at www.CatamountSports.com.