https://usasouth.net/general/2019-20/releases/20200518ly2pp0
The USA South Athletic Conference is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2020 League's Postgraduate Scholarships. This program is a one-year, one-time, renewable (two years total) $1,500 per-year scholarship awarded annually to one female and one male student-athlete who participated at a USA South institution and meet the stated criteria. The 2020 recipients are Alexis DeVuyst from Huntingdon College and Mitch Layton from N.C. Wesleyan College. The selections were made by a panel of institutional Faculty Athletic Representatives (FAR) along with USA South Conference Office personnel.
To be eligible, the applicant must be a graduating senior by the spring term of the current academic year, earned two varsity letters in a USA South sponsored sport, accumulated at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale and be nominated by their institution's FAR. The applicants were asked to complete an application form signed by the FAR, supply two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a faculty member in the nominee's major course of study, write an essay describing how being a student-athlete has prepared the nominee for the future and present an official transcript.
Mitch Layton - N.C. Wesleyan College
Layton concluded his time on the basketball court this past winter for the Battling Bishops as he led the team in rebounding (6.5/game). Prior to the 2019-20 season, Layton started just one game but was a fixture in N.C. Wesleyan's starting-five this winter.
Athletically, Layton started 25 of 26 games for the Bishops this season at forward/center and averaged over 6 points and 6 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the field. He helped lead the Bishops to a 13-13 record overall and a 9-8 record in conference play. He also recorded a career-best 20 rebounds in the win over D'Youville (NY) back in December.
Layton, who majored in Biomedical Science with a pre-med concentration, accumulated a 3.98 cumulative grade point average. He was a four-time member of the USA South Academic All-Conference team, appeared on the President's List eight times, was a two-time recipient of N.C. Wesleyan's Moe Bauer Sportsmanship, a two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court member and a back-to-back N.C. Wesleyan Male Student-Athlete of the Year.
Layton served the NCWC community as a peer tutor and supplemental instructor for the Student Success Center, a Vice President for the National Society of Leadership and Success Chapter and a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Layton has volunteered as a tutor at Thorne Chapel Baptist Church as well as the Nash/Rocky Mount-Edgecombe Boys and Girls Club and is currently a part of the Edgecombe County Rescue Squad. Finally, Layton's prospective post-graduate area of study is a master's degree to become a physician's assistant. This allows Layton to continue pursuing his two passions which are helping others and medicine.
"Mitch has proven to be the most excellent teammate, the most coachable, most driven and focused of student-athletes," his Coach John Thompson said. "He is determined, dedicated, diligent, highly motivated, intelligent, and an incredibly willing learner. Mitch has displayed a level of discipline and work ethic matched only by a rare few, and exemplifies everything we should want in a Wesleyan student-athlete: academic achievement, excellence in character, leadership, service to the community, and an extremely valuable member to the team."
