ASU’s Verbeelen, Lander’s Bell Named PBC Scholar-Athletes of the Year

HILTON HEAD, S.C. -- Augusta State’s Angii Verbeelen and Lander’s Martyn Bell have been named the Peach Belt Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for 2008-09 at a special awards banquet at the league’s annual meetings. Verbeelen and Bell were chosen by the conference’s Faculty Athletics Representatives, who looked at information on each candidate and based their vote on 50% academic accomplishment, 30% athletic acheivement and 20% leadership qualities. The scholar-athlete award is the highest individual award presented by the Peach Belt.

Verbeelen graduated from Augusta State this May with a degree in kinesiology and health science. A native of Melrose, Fla., she served as the team captain in 2009 and was president of the ASU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). In the fall, she developed the campus-wide student-athlete community service day as well as volunteered at Shands Hospital Arts and Healing Program at the University of Florida. Verbeelen has also given her time to the Special Olympics, a local nursing home, and children’s cancer care center while tutoring other college students and instructing at softball camps.

She graduated with a 3.92 GPA and was named the Tommy Werrick Female Student-Athlete of the Year at ASU. She was named to the Dean’s List in 2007 and 2008, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in 08 and 09 and a PBC Presidential Silver Scholar in 2008. On the field, the senior hit .321 for the Lady Jaguars in 2009. In two years on the team, she has a career .302 average and was ranked nationally among the toughest to strike out, with only 13 in two years. She started 87 games in her two-year career, committing only two errors. This season, she helped ASU reach the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the sub-regional final. Verbeelen returned to her native Florida where she plans to return to school to become a physician’s assistant.

Lander president Dr. Daniel Ball (L) joins FAR Betty Williams and AD Jeff May in accepting the student-athlete of the year award on behalf of Martyn Bell on Tuesday night.

Martyn Bell graduated from Lander Unviersity with degrees in Accounting and Spanish after carrying a double major. A native of Cleveland, England, Bell carried a 3.92 GPA in his years at Lander. He received the Spanish Discipline Award in 2008 and was named to the President’s List and Dean’s List each semester in school. Bell also received a team soccer Academic Award three times and was named to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll five times and the PBC Soccer All-Academic team last fall. In addition, he has organized fundraisers and community service activities, a portion of the funds went to support with the Burton Center, a facility for people with disabilites and special needs in Greenwood.

On the field, Bell was named first-team All-Conference in 2008, playing the Bearcat defense. He started in all 18 games, scoring two goals with four assists. He tied a PBC Tournament

Augusta State president Dr. William Bloodworth (L) joins SWA Maxine Maloney and other members of the Jaguar athletic department in accepting the student-athlete of the year award on behalf of Angii Verbeelen.

record with three assists in one game and scored the first goal in LU’s 3-1 win over USC Aiken in the PBC semifinals. Under Bell’s direction, Lander had the best scoring defense in the PBC with only 1.05 goals allowed per game and the team was tied for the league lead in shutouts with eight. After interning this spring at an accounting firm, Bell will attend the University of Georgia to earn his master’s degree in accounting.