LENOIR-RHYNE AWARDS: Hanlon, Kenley to receive first Powell Awards

HobbsDailyReport.com

HICKORY – Lacrosse star Mike Hanlon and softball star Sarah Kenley have won the first Wayne B. Powell Student-Athlete Award of Excellence honors at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

HANLON

The school announced the winners of the new award on Tuesday, honoring the school’s former president who retired on Jan. 1. Powell was LRU’s 11th president and served 14 years in that role.

LRU will award one male and one female student-athlete with the Powell Award at the conclusion of each year.

KENLEY

Hanlon and Kenley will be honored on Saturday at halftime of the Bears’ homecoming football game that begins at 2 p.m. in Moretz Stadium.

“I am very pleased to be able to recognize two outstanding student-athletes who embody excellence in academics, leadership, and athletics,” LRU director of athletics Kim Pate said in a press release. “Both student-athletes are high character, high-achieving, and well-rounded individuals who demonstrated excellence in all aspects of their lives.

“They are excellent students, tremendous leaders, and great competitors. We look forward to seeing the great things they will achieve in their future postgrad and professional careers.”

Hanlon, a native of Haymarket, Va., was named to the 2017 USILA NCAA Division II All-American third-team. He was also the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year, plus a first-team All-SAC pick after scoring 34 goals,

Hanlon finished second in the league in both assists (33) and total points (67) as he led LRU (12-3, 8-0) to its first NCAA Division II playoff bid after the Bears won their third SAC regular-season title in four years.

He is now a graduate assistant for athletic administration within the LRU athletic department after graduating with a 3.65 grade point average in marketing in May.

Kenley, a catcher from Charlotte, was the 2017 SAC and Southeast Region Softball Player of the Year and was named a third-team All-American by two groups.

She was first-team All-SAC and all-region after batting .429 with 12 home runs and 55 runs last spring as the Bears went 46-13, won a league title and reached the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional.

Kenley is LRU’s all-time leader in RBIs (195). She has a 3.27 grade point average while majoring in human and community service. She is a student assist for the program while finishing enough credits to graduate in December.

  • Reported by LRU Sports Information

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