Wingate senior guard Anna Atkinson walked off the court at Catawba Valley Community College a year ago wearing a Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament champion T-shirt after leading the Bulldogs to a two-point victory over Tusculum. On the back of the shirt was the NCAA blue disc logo with the Division II tagline “I Chose Division II.”

Atkinson can relate to that. Despite finishing her high school career as North Carolina’s all-time assists leader and being courted by several Division I schools, Atkinson chose to attend Wingate, a campus of 2,100 students nestled in a small community east of Charlotte.

“I wanted a school where I could put academics first and still have a life outside of the sport I played,” she said. “And I knew at a Division II school, especially Wingate, I could have academics and athletics and still have a social life and have friends and time on my own.”

Wingate has benefited from Atkinson’s decision. Last year, she was named the South Atlantic Conference’s women’s basketball player of the year after averaging 15.6 points and 8.5 assists per game. She led the Bulldogs to the tournament championship and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. In the NCAA Southeast Region tournament, Atkinson again was named MVP, leading Wingate to a surprise regional championship and a trip to the Elite Eight.

A 5-foot-6 left-handed guard, Atkinson’s quickness led her to being the league leader in steals in each of her first three seasons, and although she has been Wingate’s leading scorer for the past two years, she is most adept at running the offense and passing to teammates.

“What makes her special is that she never takes a play off,” said Wingate coach Barb Nelson. “She doesn’t even like to come out of the game. She never allows herself not to give her best. She is always watching that ball, watching the player’s eyes and knows what the player should be trying to do with the ball.  If you could bottle that and sell it, I wouldn’t need to work.”

Atkinson has been well recognized for her athletic and academic success while at Wingate. Last year, she received the conference’s Scholar-Athlete award for women’s basketball, then captured the year-end President’s Award, presented to one male and one female student-athlete in the conference on the basis of athletics skill, academic achievement and community service and leadership. She also was named the league’s female Athlete of the Year, presented to the top student-athlete who made the biggest impact in the conference, regionally and nationally. She was one of three Division II student-athletes to earn all-American honors both on the court and in the classroom.

Then before the start of her senior year, Atkinson was selected the top female scholar-athlete by the Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association, presented to just two student-athletes (one male and one female) from among the more than 88,000 student-athletes who compete at the Division II level.

“Anna Atkinson defines the term scholar-athlete,” said Wingate President Jerry McGee. “She beautifully represents what the NCAA Division II is all about…a balance between academics and athletics.”

Steve Poston, Wingate vice-president and director of athletics, said Atkinson affects the campus in multiple ways.

“Anna is a fierce competitor on the court…a leader by example and by action,” he said. “Likewise, she carries the same competitive spirit from the basketball court into the classroom. Anna makes people around her better. Wingate University is a better place thanks to Anna Atkinson’s many contributions,” he said.

Off the court, Atkinson is no quiet bookworm. Her typical day appears like any other regular college student. She gets up about an hour before her first class. After classes or during breaks, she tries to get a little studying in before heading to practice. After practice, she likes to have some down time and watches television or hang out with friends. Then at night, when things are quiet, she hits the books.

“The good thing about me is I try not to procrastinate,” Atkinson said. “I try to stay ahead with my schoolwork so basketball can’t get in the way of that.”

The closest thing to a blemish on her transcript was her junior year in high school. She made a B in an English class during one mid-semester progress report. “But I ended up making an A in the class,” she said.

With one final semester to go, Atkinson doesn’t want to break her perfect streak. “It just motivates me to study harder and keep my GPA up and keep that record clean. But there’s not necessarily pressure. If I make a B in my last semester, I would be upset, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world,” Atkinson said.

Coming out on top seems to be a common practice for Atkinson. As her time at Wingate nears a close, she looks back fondly on the decision to attend a Division II school that offered everything she was looking for – small classes, a tight-knit community and an opportunity to play basketball.

“I can’t imagine being anywhere else,” Atkinson said. “I can’t imagine what would be better somewhere else. This is the life that I chose when I was a senior in high school and it couldn’t have turned out any better for me.”

Dennis Switzer is the director of administration and sports information at the South Atlantic Conference.