SoCon 100th Anniversary Nominees

MACON, Ga. – The Southern Conference wrapped up its 100^th anniversary celebration in 2021, seven Bears were named to teams where the league has sponsored the sport for at least 25 years.

Baseball

Kyle Lewis

The most decorated athlete in Mercer athletics history, the Bears outfielder Kyle Lewis was named Baseball America College Player of the Year and won the Golden Spike Award in 2016. He also received the ABCA Gold Bat Award and College Home Run Derby Player of the Year in 2016. Lewis was named SoCon Player of the Year and an All-American in both 2015 and 2016.

In his final year at Mercer, the Snellville native led the Bears to their second-consecutive SoCon regular-season title and a seventh-straight season with at least 35 wins. In addition to his 20 homers and 72 RBI, he ranked in the top-five nationally in walks (66), on-base percentage (.535) and runs (70) and in the top-15 nationally in batting average (.395).

Lewis was the highest draft pick in Mercer and Southern Conference history, being selected 11^th overall by the Seattle Mariners in the MLB Draft. He would go on to be named the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year.

Women's Basketball

Kahlia Lawrence

One of the most decorated players in program history, Kahlia Lawrence helped propel Mercer women's basketball to where it is today.

The Columbus, Ga. native was a three-time Player of the Year and First Team selection, as well as being selected as the league's Female Athlete of the Year winner in her final season wearing the Orange & Black. Some of her other accolades include Georgia Women's College Player of the Year, SoCon All-Academic, Player of the Month, Player of the Week and Preseason Player of the Year. She played a vital role in the Bears' first SoCon tournament title and Division I tournament appearance in the 2017-18 season.

Lawrence started all but one contest in her career, the outlier coming against Georgia in December 2014. Her 2,275 points places her third all-time in program history and averaged 17.1 points per contest, which ranks seventh all-time. She notched 931 field goals, which stands second only to Andrea Congreaves' 1,107.

Following her career with the Bears, she was selected with the 24^th pick by the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx and was traded to the Las Vegas Aces in 2018.

Shannon Titus

One of the active leaders for the Bears, Shannon Titus has made a name for herself in the Orange & Black. Currently, she is in the top 13 in three categories (points, steals and blocked shots) in the program record books. She needs just four more steals for the all-time lead in Mercer history.

On the court, Titus has been named to the Preseason All-SoCon team, the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, SoCon Player of the Month, SoCon All-Tournament First Team and Second Team, Player of the Month and Player of the Week. Off of the court and in the classroom, she was Mercer's Senior C.L.A.S.S. Award nominee, the recipient of the SoCon Commissioner's Medal and SoCon All-Academic.

A part of three NCAA Tournament teams, the Johns Creek, Ga. native has been a force for Mercer since she's been in Macon. In her junior campaign, she became the first in program history to nab 75 steals and block 50 shots in a single season and was the only one to do this in Division I.

Dating back to her sophomore campaign, she has missed just one start.

Amanda Thompson

Amanda Thompson epitomized the balance of being a student-athlete. In her time on campus, the Hayesville, N.C. native starred in the classroom and on the court for Mercer – collecting awards for her studies and play.

Thompson's on court awards included SoCon Player of the Year, SoCon All-First Team, SoCon Preseason All-Conference, SoCon Tournament All-Second Team and Player of the Month. In the classroom, she was awarded First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America, CoSIDA Academic All-District, SoCon All-Academic and SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week.

She was the fifth consecutive Bear to be tabbed SoCon's Player of the Year in her senior campaign where she dropped 438 points and collected 349 rebounds in 1,129 minutes played. Thompson claimed SoCon's Player of the Month awards from December to January.
Throughout her career, she missed only one start – a conference clash with ETSU in February 2018. In Mercer's first-ever NCAA tournament game, she made nine from the field in a narrow road defeat to Iowa. Her 978 rebounds ranks fifth all-time in program history – and places eighth in Mercer history with 7.8 boards per game.

Women's Golf

Payton Schanen
In her first year as a Bear, Payton Schanen earned her first collegiate win at the FGCU Eagle Invitational. She would be named ro the Southern Conference All-Freshman and Conference team. In 2017, Schanen earned the Georgia State Golf Association Women's Player of the Year award. In the same year, she would be qualify for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and would win the Idle Hour Collegiate Championship.

Schanen would earn All-Southern Conference Team honor again in 2018. In her senior year, Schanen would earn Southern Conference Golfer of the Week (Feb. 26) and made the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll. Schanen would finish her graduate year as the 107th Ranked Individual (Golfstat) and received Southern Conference Golfer of the Week (Feb. 24) and month (February) honors. Academically, Schanen became a member of the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and of the Academic All-Southern Conference Team. Schanen would make the All-Southern Conference Team for the third time in her collegiate career and was a participant of the 2021 NCAA Louisville Regional.

Men's Soccer

Will Bagrou

The first Mercer student-athlete to be drafted to Major League Soccer, Will Bagrou tallied 73 points in 67 matches played in his career. He was a part of two consecutive NCAA Tournament teams and scored 12 times in his senior season.

Bagrou was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2016, which is given to the top collegiate soccer player and made the watch list in 2017.

The Dacula, Ga. product won nearly every SoCon honor imaginable from Male Athlete of the Year to First Team to Player of the Week to Preseason All-SoCon. Bagrou's accolades hit the national level with the NSCAA National Player of the Week, Senior CLASS Award nomination and numerous USC All-Region honors.

Following a successful MLS Combine, Bagrou was selected by Sporting Kansas City with the 75^th overall pick in the annual SuperDraft.

His senior season included just under 2,000 minutes played, a league-best 27 points (12 goals/three assists), four match-winning goals and three matches with at least four points.

In his junior season, Bagrou finished with eight goals and twelve assists for 20 points which gave him a First Team All-SoCon campaign.

Jordan Duru

A two-year captain from Powder Springs, Ga., Duru led the Bears to the first-ever SoCon tournament championship in 2016, which was his senior season. He was named to the NSCAA's Third Team All-South Region, First Team All-SoCon and Preseason All-SoCon in 2016.
In his 21 matches in the senior season, he logged 1,852 minutes and scored four goals while adding a pair of assists. Three of his four scores were match-winners.

Following a 14-point (seven goals/seven assists) season, Duru was tabbed to the SoCon All-Tournament team and the First Team All-SoCon in 2015.
Duru made an appearance on the 2014 SoCon All-Tournament team following a nine-point (three goals/three assists) season as a sophomore where he started in all 21 matches.

Members of the 100th anniversary team must meet at least one of the following criteria:
Member of SoCon Hall of Fame (for primary sport)
‐ National Player of the Year
‐ National champion
‐ All‐America in two different seasons (not including honorable mention or freshman AA)
‐ SoCon Male or Female Athlete of the Year
‐ Two‐time SoCon Player of the Year
‐ 1st‐team All‐SoCon in three different seasons
‐ Two‐time SoCon tournament individual champion
Notes:
- Student-athletes must have competed in the SoCon for at least two seasons.
- List of awards is not exhaustive – just those that satisfy the above criteria are listed.
- Awards are through the completion of the 2020-21 academic year.

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Players Mentioned

Payton Schanen

Shannon Titus

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