The Division II Scholar-Athletes of the Year awards are sponsored by Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.

Last year, Bloss was named the Daktronics Division II Player of the Year in women's basketball. A health promotions major, she also was recognized as the Verizon Academic All-American Team Member of the Year in the college division for basketball. She led the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association with 20.6 points per game, guiding her team to a 29-2 record and a berth in the final 16 in the Division II Women's Basketball Championship. She was a two-time first-team Academic All-American and left Emporia State as the career leader in steals (302), free throws made (499) and free throws attempted (669).

Hargett posted a .445 batting average while earning the Verizon Academic All-American Team Member of the Year in the college division for baseball. Hargett, a biology and political science major, has one more year of college remaining. An all-region selection by the American Baseball Coaches Association, he has earned dean's list honors at North Alabama six consecutive semesters. Hargett is a member of six campus honor societies and this past year earned the Gulf South Conference's top award, the Commissioner's Trophy.

The selections of Bloss and Hargett cap a process guided by the Division II Commissioners Association. Last month, 16 regional scholar-athlete award winners were named. Bloss and Hargett were selected from a field of eight men's and eight women's regional winners.

This is the second year of the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award program and also the second year in which North Alabama has been honored with a national winner. Last year, Rachel Price of North Alabama was named the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, along with the University of North Colorado's Corte McGuffey.

"We are all very proud of the quality student-athletes that Division II institutions produce annually," said Tom Brown, commissioner of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and president of the Division II Commissioners Association. "Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex has helped Division II in many ways, and we are grateful to them for helping us to recognize this outstanding talent."

Joining Hargett as men's regional winners were Ronald Brooks, Bellarmine University; Aaron Cuny, University of North Florida; Matt Edwards, Mansfield University of Pennsylvania; Jeremy Kudera, University of South Dakota; James Nielsen, University of California, San Diego; Michael Scarinci, Molloy College; and Clint Steiner, Central Missouri State University.

Along with Bloss, women's regional winners were Deanna Benhfeldt, University of Findlay; Katerina Glosova, North Carolina Central University; Jennifer Higgins, St. Cloud State University; Jill Razor, Rollins College; Kim Rochon, West Chester University of Pennsylvania; Debbie Sant'Anna, Hawaii Pacific University; and Sherran Wilson, Dowling College.

In addition to the national and regional winners, the Division II Commissioners Association designated the following student-athletes as members of the Commissioners Honor Roll for academic and athletic achievement: Jason Eddy, Bryant College; Stacy Mattioli, Assumption College; Billy Chapman, Lane College; Caterricka Harris, Lane; Gareth Dunn, Lynn University; Bridget Pyles, Arkansas Tech University; William Harris, Johnson C. Smith University; Donny Thoreson, Presbyterian College; Rachel Boyer, University of South Carolina-Spartanburg; Jenna Wiley, Wingate University; Dallas Curtis, Northeastern State University; Nickie Engelbrecht, Texas Woman's University; Scott Prather, Hawaii-Hilo; Kaey Jungwirth, California State University, Los Angeles; Andy Coryell, Mesa State College; Andrew Fleischman, Concordia University, St. Paul; Janet Boettcher, University of Nebraska at Kearney; Craig Pickering, Ashland University; Michele Tuchfarber, Northern Kentucky University; Kenneth Briggs, University of Charleston (West Virginia); Casey Prince, Barton College; Adrianne Harlow, West Liberty State College; and Debra Oates, Pfeiffer University.