April 29, 2008

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. - Senior linebacker Eric Rice (Thomasville, Ga.) and junior cross-country standout Aubrey Morris (Chattanooga, Tenn.) were named Eagle Club Male and Female Athletes of the Year at Carson-Newman's 2007-'08 All-Sports Banquet held Tuesday night on the C-N campus.

Both award winners earned South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors in their respective sports during the past athletic year.

Rice wrapped up his senior season by taking 2007 SAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. A four-year starter for Ken Sparks' Eagles, the Thomasville, Georgia-native led C-N in tackles in three of his four seasons at Mossy Creek. He was also a part of two South Atlantic Conference championship teams.

In December, Rice was named an American Football Coaches Association All-American after leading the Eagles with 49 tackles and five sacks. He also made what might have been the key play of the Eagles 2007 campaign. With C-N trailing 14-3 in the third quarter, his interception at Chattanooga set up Carson-Newman's second score, propelling the Eagles to a 29-17 comeback win.

Morris continued her dominance of the SAC last fall, winning 2007 South Atlantic Conference Runner of the Year honors after taking first at the SAC Cross Country Championships in October.

The Chattanooga-native continues to leave her mark at Mossy Creek as one of the top runners in school history. She has been an NCAA qualifier in each of her three seasons at C-N, including finishing 95th at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships held in Joplin, Missouri in November. She was also named All-Southeast Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Warren Barger was named the 2007-`08 Wayne Sloan Eagle Club Booster of the Year.

The Chattanooga resident has been an avid supporter of Eagle athletics for more than four decades. He has been the driving force of the Greater Chattanooga/Eagle Club Golf Classic for 28 years, which has raised thousands of dollars for athletic scholarships.

Barger and his wife Alta, along with family and friends, have established a Hall of Fame Endowed Scholarship for the benefit of every sport at Carson-Newman. He is the father of Carson-Newman Athletic Director David Barger, who won the award in 1978, two years before he began working at his alma mater.

Volleyball senior Mary Knapp (Bristol, Tenn.) was named the Eagle Club Academic Athlete of the Year. An exercise science major, she maintained a 3.97 GPA at Carson-Newman. Mary will continue her education at the University of Tennessee in the fall, as she pursues a professional degree in physical therapy.

A defensive specialist, Mary helped the Lady Eagles to compile an 82-53 record in her four years at Mossy Creek.

Other award winners include: Kelli Sorensen (Sagebrush Steakhouse Female Academic Athlete of the Year), Caleb Sorrells (Sagebrush Steakhouse Male Academic Athlete of the Year), and Alex Good (Roy Harmon Award).