Newberry Observer

Stepp, Britten named Academic All-District

AUSTIN, TEXAS — James Stepp and Shelby Britten have been named to the men’s and women’s Academic All District teams, respectively, by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Newberry and North Georgia are the only two schools in the Southeast Region with a player on both the men’s and women’s teams. The South Atlantic Conference was well-represented, accounting for eight of the 13 possible slots among the two teams that are selected from the SAC, the Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas.

Stepp, a senior, is a two-time Academic All-District selection with a 3.76 GPA in Biology. He leads the Wolves in minutes and is second on the team and seventh in the league with 15.2 points per game. Stepp’s 75 made three-point field goals rank seventh in the SAC and he is 11th with 38 steals.

The Greensboro, N.C. native has led the Wolves in scoring eight times this season, including coming within three points of matching his career high with a 27-point performance last night against Catawba. He has scored in double figures on 23 occasions this season and currently has 1,312 points in his career. He has won a SAC Player of the Week honor this season.

Britten earns Academic All-District distinction for the first time in her career this season. She is the Wolves’ second-leading scorer with 15.0 points per game and ranks fourth in the SAC with 116 assists on the season. She leads the league in minutes per game (36.3) and is second with 52 three-point field goals made.

The junior from Shepparton, Victoria, Australia has a 3.81 GPA in Psychology. She has scored 20 or more points on six occasions this season and has tallied as many as nine assists in a game. She was named SAC Co-Player of the Week on Nov. 27.

Both players will advance onto the Academic All-America ballot. Stepp will be joined by fellow SAC student-athletes Kerigan Farley (Wingate), Nathan Lemke (Coker), and Luke Van-Rijn (Mars Hill). The Anderson tandem of Alexis Dillard and Alexy Mollenhauer, along with Lincoln Memorial’s Shea Coker, will advance to the women’s Academic All-America ballot with Britten.

Newberry is one of two schools in Southeast Region with a men’s and women’s player honored.
https://www.newberryobserver.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/web1_SteppBritten.jpgNewberry is one of two schools in Southeast Region with a men’s and women’s player honored. Courtesy photo

Staff Report