USCA’s Whitley; NGCSU’s Oster Named Scholar-Athletes of the Year

HILTON HEAD, S.C -- USC Aiken women’s soccer player Annie Whitley and North Georgia baseball player Anders Oster were named the 2009-10 PBC Scholar-Athletes of the Year the league’s annual meetings in Hilton Head.  Whitley and Oster 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 achievement and 20% leadership qualities. The scholar-athlete award is the highest individual award presented by the Peach Belt.

Whitley graduated cum laude with a 3.72 GPA from USC Aiken in May with degrees in biology and chemistry.  A native of Neptune Beach, Fla., she was twice selected for participation in the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates program.  She also did research at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and studied marine science at Texas A&M University.  She won an outstanding undergraduate presentation award from the Society of Toxicology and Chemistry at their 2009 North American meeting and received a scholarship from the Southeast Environmental Management Association.

On the field, Whitley was a four-year starter for the Lady Pacers, serving as team captain in her junior and senior years.  She scored eight goals in her career, playing largely as a defensive midfielder.  She was named Peach Belt All-Conference last season and earned the team’s most valuable player award.  She was also named to the ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District team and the PBC All-Academic team.  Named to the school Dean’s Honor List seven times, she received the Frederick Carl Memorial Scholarship last fall and was named the athletic department’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  Whitley plans to pursue her studies in graduate school at the University of Kentucky.

Anders Oster graduated from North Georgia College & State University in May with a degree in physics and a 3.74 GPA.  A member of North Georgia’s honors program, he leaves the school a member of the Sigma Pi Sigma Physics National Honor Society.  Named to the PBC presidential honor roll four times, he was also placed on the NGCSU’s President’s List twice for carrying a perfect 4.00 GPA through a semester.  He served on the NGCSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for five years and on the SAAC Executive Board for three.  He also worked as a physics tutor.

On the field, Oster served as team captain in 2007, 2009 and 2010.  In 2009, he suffered a season-ending injury and received a medical redshirt allowing him to return for 2010.  He leaves the North Georgia baseball program as the career record holder in assists and double plays turned.  In 217 career games played he scored 128 runs, hit 33 doubles, 12 home runs and has 295 total bases.  He hit .305 with two home runs and 24 RBIs for the Saints this year, returning to his position at starting shortstop after returning from his injury.  Oster may test the waters of professional baseball should the opportunity present itself or pursue his academic interests in graduate school.