ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville men's basketball team, along with center Kenny George and former baseball player Rob Vernon have been nominated for awards that will be announced at the Mountain Amateur Athletic Banquet Sunday night at the Grove Park Inn. This banquet recognizes the best amateur athletes and teams in Western North Carolina for the past year.
The men's basketball team is being nominated for Jack Dalton Award, which goes to the top collegiate team in Western North Carolina. The Bulldogs went 23-10 this past season and were co-regular-season champions of the Big South Conference. Asheville became the first school in Big South Conference history to be selected to the post-season National Invitational Tournament.
George and Vernon are being nominated for the Joe Hunt Award, which goes to the top area collegiate athlete. George was the 2008 Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Year and led the nation in field goal percentage. Vernon is being nominated for his performance in the 2007 baseball season for the Bulldogs. He set UNC Asheville single-season records for highest batting average (.394), most hits (97), longest hitting streak (21 games), and most total bases (153) in 2007. Vernon earned All-Big South First-Team honors and was named to American Baseball Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region Second-Team.
