Charlotte, N.C. -  Charlotte 49ers track and field standout Darius Law and soccer defender Megan Minnix have been named the Atlantic 10 Conference male and female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference's director of athletics.

            With this year's Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, Charlotte becomes the first A-10 institution to claim both the male and female citations in consecutive years. Charlotte's Corey Nagy (golf) and Hailey Beam (soccer) secured the honors in 2009-10. The last school to sweep the A-10 Scholar-Athlete awards was Saint Joseph's in 2001-02 with basketball players Bill Phillips and Susan Moran claiming honors.

            During Charlotte's six years in the league, the 49ers have won seven of the possible 12 awards.  No other league school has won more than two awards over that time period.  With Minnix's honor, the 49ers women's soccer program, alone, has won three awards.  Over the 21-year history of the award, which dates back to 1990-91, Charlotte's seven awards are the most.  Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's both have won five awards since 1990-91.

            During his time in the Queen City, Law was a 26-time Atlantic 10 champion in track and field and helped the 49ers to five Atlantic 10 Championship crowns.  One of the A-10's most accomplished student-athletes, Law also garnered the league's Most Outstanding Performer honors on three separate occasions and earned both of the A-10's indoor and outdoor Rookie of the Year awards in 2008. An All-American in the 400-meters, he qualified to compete in the event in 2011 NCAA Championship and became the only athlete to qualify for both the 200-and 400-meters at the 2010 NCAA Championship. Law was also only one of six 49ers' student-athletes in school history to combine athletic All-America honors with Academic All-America honors.

            In the classroom, Law was a five-time Atlantic 10 Track and Field Student-Athlete of the Year honoree and a three-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-America recipient, while garnering the 2010 Arthur Ashe Jr., Male Sports Scholar Athlete of the Year award. He was one of three national finalists for the NCAA's prestigious Walter Byers Scholarship.  The Raleigh, N.C., native also served as the Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President, spearheaded several community service projects and campus charity campaigns, including those benefitting Samaritan's Feet and Toys for Tots and served as a motivational speaker for troubled youth. Law maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average during his college career while majoring in business management.

            Minnix, a three-time All-Conference selection, propelled Charlotte to a trio of A-10 regular season crowns (2007, 2008, 2010), two A-10 Championship titles (2007, 2008) and a pair of trips to the NCAA Tournament (2007, 2008). She concluded her career at Charlotte ranked first in games played (87), games started (86) and minutes played (7081), while anchoring a tenacious 49ers' defense that combined for 46 shutouts over four years. Minnix, who started all but one game during her time at Charlotte, was also named to the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of American (NSCAA) All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team.

            Off the field, Minnix, from Columbus, Ohio,  garnered the A-10's 2010 Women's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year award, was named to the 2010 NSCAA Scholar All-America second team and was a two-time ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA All-District selection (2009, 2010). The three-time A-10 Academic All-Conference recipient (2008-10) compiled a 3.9 cumulative grade-point average during her four-year tenure at Charlotte while majoring in marketing.

            The A-10 also awards single sport Student-athlete of the Year Awards.  Charlotte won four such awards earlier this year:  Minnix (W. Soccer), Law (M. Outdoor Track), Andy Sajevic (Golf) and Cory Tilton (Baseball).  Over the 49ers' six years in the league, the  A-10 has honored 94 student-athletes of the year in the 16 sports that Charlotte sponsors.  The 49ers have won 29 of those 94 awards (31%), nearly three times any other A-10 school.  Dayton has won 10 awards in those 16 sports while George Washington and Saint Louis have won eight.  A 49ers golfer has won the A-10 Golf Student-Athlete of the Year in each of the six seasons.  Law won five A-10 track and field student-athlete of the year awards (2 indoor; 3 outdoor).  Charlotte has had at least four individual sport A-10 Student-Athletes of the Year in each of their six seasons with a high of six during the 2008-09 season.

About the Award

The Atlantic 10 Conference honors one male and one female student-athlete as its Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Each of the league's 14 member institutions nominates one male and one female student-athlete from their respective campuses for consideration. Each candidate must be a starter or important reserve on his/her team and have a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).  Voting is conducted among the A-10's directors of athletics.

A-10 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS

Year - Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year / Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year

2010-11 - Darius Law, CHA (Track & Field) / Megan Minnix, CHA (Soccer)

2009-10 - Corey Nagy, CHA (Golf) / Hailey Beam, CHA (Soccer)

2008-09 - Zack Simmons, UM (Soccer) / Theresa Lisch, SLU (Basketball)

2007-08 - Randy Moley, SBU (Baseball) / Lindsey Ozimek, CHA (Soccer)

2006-07 - John DiRaimondo, SLU (Soccer) / Jane Daniels, CHA (Cross Country/Track)

2005-06 - Mike Ambrose, CHA (Baseball) / Kristen Clary, XU (Tennis)

2010-11 A-10 SPORT STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS (Charlotte 49ers)

Megan Minnix, Women's Soccer

Darius Law, Men's Outdoor Track and Field

Andy Sajevic, Golf

Cory Tilton, Baseball

CHARLOTTE 49ERS ALL-TIME A-10 SPORT STUDENT-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

2010-11 (4): Megan Minnix* (W. Soccer), Andy Sajevic (Golf), Cory Tilton (Baseball), Darius Law* (Men's Outdoor Track)

2009-10 (5): Adam Gross (Men's Soccer); Hailey Beam* (Women's Soccer), Corey Nagy* (Golf), Darius Law (Men's Indoor Track); Darius Law (Men's Outdoor Track)

2008-09 (6): Hailey Beam (Women's Soccer), Corey Nagy (Golf), Darius Law (Men's Indoor Track), Lamarra Currie (Women's Indoor Track), Darius Law (Men's Outdoor Track), Lamarra Currie (Women's Outdoor Track)

2007-08 (5): Lindsey Ozimek* (Women's Soccer), Alma Arroyo (Volleyball), Jonas Enander Hedin (Golf), Ryan Jank (Men's Indoor Track), Lamarra Currie (Women's Outdoor Track)

2006-07 (5): Andrew DiBitetto (Golf), Jane Daniels (Women's Cross Country), Dorian Host (Men's Tennis), Jane Daniels* (Women's Track), Sharonda Johnson (Women's Track)

2005-06 (4): Ray Sheedy (Golf), Mike Ambrose* (Baseball), Zvi Lantsberg (Men's Tennis), Cassie Ficken (Women's Track)

*- A-10 Male or Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year