CLEVELAND -- The Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) announced that Beck Burnette (Lee University; Gulf South Conference) and Celine Ritter (Lee University; Gulf South Conference) have been selected as the 2021-22 Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
 
Burnette, a member of the men's golf team for the Flames, carried a 3.93 GPA as a business and communications double major. Ritter, a member of the women's cross country and track and field teams for the Flames, maintained a 4.0 graduate GPA and a 3.87 undergraduate GPA while pursuing a Master of Business Administration in psychology. Both Burnette and Ritter are being recognized amongst 16 regional scholar-athlete winners, selected by the D2 CCA.

"What an honor it is to recognize these amazing student-athletes," said D2 CCA President Matt Wilson, commissioner of the Gulf South Conference. "Congratulations to Beck and Celine on being selected as the D2CCA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This pair along with all our regional award winners remind all of us what kind of opportunities and experiences our student-athletes can take part in thanks to collegiate athletics."

Beck Burnette, Lee University
As a junior in 2021-22, Burnette was a guiding force behind the Flames National Title this past May. He was named a finalist for the Jack Nicklaus Player of the Year and was the GSC Golfer of the Year in 2022. Burnette also won the GSC Commissioner's Trophy which is the highest honor bestowed by the conference and one of the most prestigious individual honors in Division II. He became the first men's winner from Lee in school-history and just the third golfer in GSC history to be recognized.

In addition, Burnette walked away this year earning first-team All-GSC honors, while also being named a GCAA/PING All-American and a Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar.

Among Burnette's Division II career accomplishments, he claimed the 2020 Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year honors. For his career, Burnette is a three-time All-American and a three-time All-GSC selection.

Celine Ritter, Lee University
As a graduate student for the Flames this past year, Ritter claimed her second straight Indoor Track & Field National Championship in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 9:18.53 and finished fourth at the Cross Country National Championships. She was First Team All-American in cross country, indoor track and field, and outdoor track and field. In addition to her historic season on the track, Ritter was named the USTFCCCA NCAA D2 National Scholar Track and Field Athlete of the Year. She also was named to the GSC All-Academic Team in both cross country and track and field and is a member of the Chi Alpha National Honor Society.

Ritter also earned the GSC Commissioner's Trophy, as she joined elite company to become the eighth individual to win back-to-back Commissioner Trophy honors. Ritter is a four-time GSC Champion, two-time cross country All-American, six-time track All-American, 2021 South Region Athlete of the Year, 2021 Indoor Track and Field South Region Athlete of the Year, and a two-time NCAA Indoor National Champion in the 3,000-meter run.

Across campus, her community service efforts included working with The Breakfast Club food shelter and at the Ocoee Middle School, where she assisted with the track practices, meets, and overall athlete development.

Men's regional winners in addition to Burnette are:

Name	Class	School	Region	Conference	Sport	Major	GPA
Trevor Bassitt	Senior	Ashland University	Midwest	Great Midwest Athletic Conference	Track & Field	Sports Management/MBA	3.56/3.87
Carlos Ferrando Felis	Graduate	Franklin Pierce University	East	Northeast 10 Conference	Soccer	Health Sciences	3.98
Connor Hamilton	Senior	Slippery Rock University	Atlantic	Pennsylvania State Atlantic Conference	Baseball	Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering	3.92
Myles Moffat	Graduate	Lenoir-Rhyne University	Southeast	South Atlantic Conference	Lacrosse	Management and Marketing	4.0
Coleman Nash	Sophomore	University of Alaska Anchorage	West	Great Northwest Athletic Conference	Cross Country/Track & Field	Finance	4.0
Tyler Riemersma	Graduate	Augustana University	Central	Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference	Basketball	Data Science	3.90/ 4.0
Justin Thompson	Sophomore	Colorado Mesa	South Central	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Track & Field	Exercise Science	4.0

 
Joining Ritter as the women's regional winners are:

Name	Class	School	Region	Conference	Sport	Major	GPA
Zoe Baker	Senior	Colorado School of Mines	South Central	Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference	Cross Country/Track & Field	Computer Science and Applied Mathematics & Statistics	4.0
Akayla Hackson	Senior	Cal State San Marcos	West	California Collegiate Athletic Conference	Basketball	Computer Science	3.85
Bri Hewlett	Senior	Chestnut Hill College	East	Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference	Basketball and Soccer	Computer and Information Sciences/ Cybersecurity	3.95
Taylor Malasek	Senior	University of North Georgia	Southeast	Peach Belt Conference	Soccer	Biology	3.96
Faith Rottinghaus	Senior	Washburn University	Central	Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association	Volleyball	Kinesiology	4.0
Julie Ruzevich	Graduate	Lindenwood University	Midwest	Great Lakes Valley Conference	Basketball	Business Administration	3.95
Audrey Tingle	Graduate	West Liberty University	Atlantic	Mountain East Conference	Basketball	Speech Pathology/ Audiology	4.0/ 4.0

About D2 CCA: Initiated in 1992 to promote its member conferences and institutions, D2 CCA has made its mark in providing a united front for NCAA Division II athletics. Created after the break-up of the College Division Commissioners Association, the D2 CCA continues to create lines of communication and opportunities for its member conferences. The D2 CCA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 58^th year. For more information on NACDA and the 18 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.