Tennessee Wesleyan wins Duard Walker All-Sports Trophy

KINGSPORT, Tenn. - Tennessee Wesleyan captured the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Duard Walker All-Sports Trophy for the second year in a row, the league announced at its spring meetings Monday in Kingsport, Tenn.

Following the winter sports season, Tennessee Wesleyan was in tie for second in the standings with 275 points. However, Tennessee Wesleyan racked up 610 points during the spring sports season to finish with 885 total points. Like it did in 2014-15, Tennessee Wesleyan scored points in every championship sport except for one. This is the fourth time in the past five years Tennessee Wesleyan has won the Duard Walker All-Sports Trophy.

This is the 17th year the AAC has handed out this award.

Reinhardt also had a good spring sports season, collecting 10 of it2 12 conference championships during the spring. Reinhardt won the regular-season and tournament titles for men's lacrosse, men's golf, men's tennis, women's tennis and softball as it tallied 515 points during the spring.

Milligan scored 600 points to place third, while Union finished fourth with 565 points.

For the second year in a row, there are men's and women's competitions. Points are awarded in the same manner, but the men's and women's sports are calculated separately to determine a men's and women's winner.

In the men's competition, Tennessee Wesleyan took top honors with 470 points. Reinhardt (375 points) and Union (370 points) came in second and third, respectively, and Point and Bryan tied for fourth with 185 points.

Milligan won the women's competition with 450 points, while Tennessee Wesleyan (415 points), Reinhardt (340 points) and Bryan (230 points) rounded out the top four.

For a full scoring breakdown, click here.

The Appalachian Athletic Conference Duard Walker All-Sports Trophy was established as a way of recognizing member institutions with the most successful all-around sports program for the year. Member colleges compete in fifteen sports: baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis and track and field for men; and, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball for women.

The trophy was named the Duard Walker Trophy in 2000 in honor of Coach Duard Walker who retired that year after 50 years of service to Milligan as teacher, coach, and athletics director. Walker was named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Athletics Director of the Year for 2001. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2008.