Lenoir-Rhyne’s Emily Harman was voted the 2022-23 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is presented annually to one student-athlete in each of the Conference’s championship sports and is voted on by the SAC’s Faculty Athletic Representatives Committee. The winners are selected based on their achievements in academics, athletics, service, and leadership.

The junior guard has been a member of the women’s basketball program for three years and currently has a 3.7 grade point average while studying sports management and human services. She was named to the Lenoir-Rhyne Dean’s List as a freshman, sophomore, and junior and was named to the President’s List during her sophomore year. Harman also appeared on the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll as a freshman and sophomore. She is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

“Emily is the true definition of a student-athlete. She has a genuine drive and desire to excel and is committed to being successful both on and off the court,” said head coach Grahm Smith. “Her dedication is impressive to watch. She has consistently impressed me as a dedicated student, athlete and responsible young woman. On the basketball court, Emily is consistently a positive influence and team leader. She is a true example of how to conduct oneself on and off the court with her positive attitude, commitment, passion and dedication. It is hard to measure the numerous ways she impacts our team. With her continuous work ethic and leadership, she has helped lead and lay the foundation for the Lenoir-Rhyne University Women’s Basketball Program. Her maturity, positive attitude and strong work ethic prepares her wonderfully for success now and in the future. I am proud to have been able to see her grow as a person, student and basketball player and look forward to seeing her continued growth in the future.”

On the court, Harman has had a dominant presence. She was voted the SAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week four times in her career and became just the 24th player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career, landing her on the Second Team All-Conference. She led the Bears to a 14-0 record to start and a No. 3 National Ranking, which were both program records. Harman took Lenoir-Rhyne to its third SAC Tournament Championship in program history and was named to the All-Tournament Team as well as earning the SAC Tournament Most Valuable Player award. She led the Bears in rebounding and was second in assists and points.

As a sophomore, Harman was named the SAC Player of the Week twice and broke the program record in free throw percentage at 88.9 percent. She averaged 16 points per game and led the Bears in rebounds, assists, and steals. During her freshman year, she was named the SAC Freshman of the Year, the Lenoir-Rhyne Newcomer of the Year, and SAC Player of the Week. She finished her first year with 14.6 points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game, and led the team in assists and steals.

A native of Chesapeake, Va., Harman has been active off the court as a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the Bears Leadership Academy. She volunteered 10 hours of community service in both her freshman and sophomore years and worked an additional six hours of community service cleaning the gymnasium and providing leadership at the annual 828 Day put on by Lenoir-Rhyne.