Betts named Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year; Heavner makes Academic All-Conference

MACON, Ga. – Mercer juniors Will Betts and Joey Heavner were both named to the inaugural Atlantic Sun Men's Soccer Academic All-Conference team, with Betts taking home Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as announced by the conference office on Monday morning.  

The Academic All-Conference teams recognize student-athletes who embody the Atlantic Sun Conference's mission of Building Winners for Life. All the members of the team boast a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or better and participated in at least half of their team's matches.

Betts and Heavner have each had breakout junior campaigns for the Bears this fall, helping Mercer to an 8-7-3 overall record and a number four seed in this week's Atlantic Sun Championship. The Academic All-Conference recognition for Betts and Heavner, both two-time A-Sun All-Academic team honorees, are the first postseason awards for either player. For Betts, the academic honor is his second in less than a week as the Brenham, Texas native was voted onto Capital One Academic All-District IV first team on Saturday.

Betts, a finance major with a 3.97 GPA, has set career-highs in both points and goals thus far in 2011. He currently leads Mercer and ranks tied for 10^th in the A-Sun with 12 points, on the strength of five goals and two assists. Betts also paces the Bears with three game-winning goals this season, putting him in a three-way tie for third-most in the conference.

Heavner, a business major with a 3.69 GPA, is having a memorable season of his own for the Orange and Black, ranking tied for second on the squad with nine points on one goal and seven assists. The Landisville, Pa. native currently ranks tied for first in the A-Sun and 22nd in the nation with seven assists and scored his lone goal of the season in a 2-1 win over Belmont on October 30.

Betts, Heavner and the rest of the Bears return to the field on Wednesday evening when it takes on Lipscomb in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Championship. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Summers-Taylor Stadium on the campus of East Tennessee State University.