Rock Hill, S.C.----Wingate University senior track and field/cross country student-athlete Valerie Griesche (Ingolstadt, Germany) is the South Atlantic Conference's Woman of the Year, league officials announce today. The two-time Academic All-America® honoree was named the SAC Presidents' Award winner in June. The SAC Woman of the Year Award recognizes academics, athletics, service and leadership.
 
Along with being named the league's Woman of the Year, Griesche is a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. She is one of 581 nominees from across all of the NCAA to be nominated for the award. Griesche joins 131 NCAA Division II student-athletes as NCAA Woman of the Year nominees.
 
"Valerie's excels at everything she attempts in an unassuming way," Wingate vice-president and director of athletics Steve Poston says. "She accomplishes great things without fanfare…partly due to the distance events she runs…and partly due to her nature. I can't think of a more deserving student-athlete to receive this award."
 
"Valerie is a wonderful representative for the 2018 SAC Woman of the Year award because of her academic achievement in the classroom, athletic success, dedication to the community through her volunteer work and research and her leadership among our team," Wingate head cross country coach and track distance coach Ashley Glover says.
 
"I placed the same expectations on Valerie as I do each for each student-athlete," Glover says. "She exceeded these while also overcoming the challenges of being an international student-athlete and maintaining a rigorous academic curriculum with research hours in the lab. I'm so proud of the way Valerie has represented Wingate University and the South Atlantic Conference."
 
In June, Griesche was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® first team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Griesche graduated summa cum laude with a 4.00 GPA at Wingate's May Commencement Exercises. She majored in biology with chemistry and Spanish minors. Griesche shared the H.K. Helms Award (highest GPA) with six classmates at the graduation ceremony.
 
Griesche won two awards at Wingate's sixth annual WUSPYS celebration. She received the Geddings Award, presented each year to Wingate's top overall student-athlete (academics, athletics, leadership, service). In addition, Griesche shared the Haskins Scholar-Athlete Award with two classmates (baseball's Ty Andrus and softball's Meagan Martucci). The Haskins Award honors the senior student-athlete(s) with the highest GPA.
 
In February, Griesche placed fifth in the mile and sixth in the 3000 meters at the first-ever SAC Indoor Track and Field Championship. She finished second in the 3000 meter steeplechase during the 2018 SAC Outdoor Track and Field Championship, helping Wingate win its second consecutive SAC outdoor title. In 2018, Griesche was named All-Southeast Region in outdoor track and field for her efforts in the 3000 meter steeplechase. She was All-Southeast Region four times during her WU track and field career.
 
In cross country, Griesche was a three-time All-South Atlantic Conference selection and All-Freshman team honoree. Griesche was named the 2017 SAC Elite 20 award winner for women's cross country. She posted the highest GPA at the South Atlantic Conference Cross County Championship. Griesche was named the SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award winner for both cross country and track and field this academic year.
 
Griesche was honorable mention All-SAC at the 2016 SAC cross country meet with her 5K time of 19:29. Griesche was second team All-SAC at the 2014 SAC cross country meet, thanks to her 12th place finish and her 19:31 5K time. Griesche has been a member of two Conference Championship teams. In addition, she participated in the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championship meet during her first three seasons.
 
Outside the classroom, Griesche has been working with Dr. Melissa Fox on a cancer research project for three semesters. Using various experimental methods, she studied the role of the metabolic regulator AMPKa2 in cancer cells and its potential as a treatment method. Currently, Griesche is working on her honors senior project which involves wound healing assays and uses fluorescence to investigate the activity of various proteins involved in migration of breast cancer cells.
 
Griesche has also made a big impact through her involvement in the Wingate community. Since her freshman year, Griesche has been working at the Academic Resource Center (ARC) at Wingate University to tutor various classes including Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology, Organic Chemistry, Statistics, Spanish and German. She participated in tutor training and gained CRLA Level I and Level II certification.
 
In the spring of 2016, Griesche and a group of Wingate University students visited a school in Florida through the school's Alternative Spring Break program. The WU group educated the high school students about the importance of college education for their future, shared about their own college experiences and inspired them to go to college. In addition, Griesche has volunteered time through "One Day, One Dog," United Way Day of Caring, Special Olympics and Xcel 2 Fitness. 
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
A comprehensive, independent and growing university, Wingate serves more than 3,600 students in North Carolina. Founded in 1896, the University offers 37 undergraduate majors as well as graduate and professional programs. Wingate is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences. Wingate blends in-class exploration with out-of-class application to deliver an uncommon and life-changing educational experience.
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past 12 years. Wingate is first in the 2000s among NCAA Division II and North Carolina's colleges and universities with 105 CoSIDA Academic All-America® selections. Wingate is tops among all SAC schools with 114 lifetime Academic All-America® honorees. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com. Current news and videos can be found at www.wingate.edu.