ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Tusculum University football student-athlete Andrew Cantrell has been named a recipient of the Bob McCloskey Insurance (BMI) Postgraduate Scholarship announced South Atlantic Conference officials Tuesday. Mars Hill University softball player Maggie Langheim was also a recipient of the BMI Postgraduate Scholarship.
"We are thrilled BMI is, once again, able to award postgraduate scholarships to our outstanding student-athletes and allow them to further their education," said SAC Commissioner Patrick Britz. "Andrew and Maggie have worked extremely hard during their collegiate careers, both academically and athletically, and we are honored to be able to reward that hard work and dedication with these scholarships."
"We are honored to be able to help support the student-athletes of the South Atlantic Conference," Peter Ginnegar, Senior Vice President of BMI stated. "We know that the cost of higher education can be difficult to manage, but we hope these scholarships will allow these deserving student-athletes the opportunity to complete their degrees."
The BMI postgraduate scholarships are awarded to SAC student-athletes who excel academically and athletically and have completed their final year of intercollegiate athletics competition. Both Cantrell and Langheim will receive a one-time, non-renewable scholarship of $2,000 toward the graduate school of their choice.
Cantrell, a native of Sparta, Tennessee, graduated from Tusculum last month with cum laude honors as he earned his bachelor of science degree in chemistry and pre-pharmacy, and finished with a 3.70 cumulative grade point average.
He is a member of the South Atlantic Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Athletic Director's Honor Roll and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. He was also named to the Division II Athletic Directors Association Honor Roll.
The two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American® has appeared in all 37 games of his collegiate career as Tusculum's punter where he is third in program history with 188 career punts, while his 7,211 career punting yards are third-most in the school record book. His 38.36 career yards per punt average is ninth-best in TU history and has accounted for 58 punts inside the opponent's 20-yard line (3rd in TU history).
"Andrew is what you hope every student-athlete would be," said TU head football coach Jerry Odom. "He works extremely hard in both the classroom and on the field and we are super happy he is a Pioneer. He is an outstanding recipient of this honor."
In 2021, Cantrell averaged 40.1 yards per punt, which was the third-best average in the conference and 28th in the country. Of his 48 punts, 20 resulted in fair catches, which were the most in the league. He also posted 18 punts inside the 20-yard line, which were second in the SAC.
"I would like to thank the South Atlantic Conference for selecting me as a recipient of the SAC / BMI Postgraduate Scholarship," Cantrell said. "It is an honor to be chosen for this prestigious award. I would also like to thank Tusculum's science department along with the TU athletic department for pushing me to excel in the classroom. I'm very grateful to Coach Odom for giving me the opportunity to play the sport I love. I am truly blessed by God to be given these opportunities and I do not take them for granted."
