PENSACOLA, Fla. – Lee women's soccer star Summer Lanter took home the most esteemed award an athlete can receive in the Gulf South Conference as she was received the Female Commissioner's Trophy at Thursday's Awards Banquet at the Hilton Pensacola Beach.
Lanter is the first Lee athlete to win the Commissioner's Trophy. Lee became eligible for the award in 2016 after becoming official members of the NCAA.
Lanter was the team captain and played a prominent role in leading the Lady Flames to the program's first GSC Tournament Championship this season. The Lady Flames would also advance all the way to the NCAA South Region final for the first time in school history. The Soddy Daisy native was named the Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament and received her second consecutive GSC Player of the Year award.
"I was honored to be a part of the top ten athletes selected for this award. After hearing what all the other incredible athletes accomplished within and outside of their sports, I am over whelmed with gratefulness to have received the highest honor," said Lanter. "It has been a privilege to represent Lee University in the GSC. The conference has been so good to me and I am so thankful to have been able to compete against so many outstanding athletes."
Lanter garnered national attention as she was named a United Soccer Coaches (USC) Second Team All-American. In addition, Lanter landed on the Division 2 Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) and USC First Team All-South Region teams and was honored as the D2CCA South Region Player of the Year. She was named First Team All-GSC in 2015 and 2016, as well as D2CCA and USC First Team All-Region in 2016.
"What a wonderful way to finish an outstanding collegiate career. She has been the driving force behind our successful move to D2 and I am so pleased that she she is being recognized by the GSC for her accomplishments," said Lee Athletic Director Larry Carpenter.
The senior from Soddy Daisy graduate Summa Cum Laude in May with a nursing degree and was the 2018 commissioning speaker. She received the highest award a student-athlete can win at Lee this year, the Paul Conn Student- Athlete of the Year award and was also named the Lee University Female Student-Athlete of the Year. For the third straight year, Lanter was named to the GSC All-Academic Team and GSC Honor Roll. She is a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma Honor Society and volunteers locally with Haven Place, the Austin Hatcher Foundation, and Kicking It For Kid's with Cancer to complete more than 80 hours of community service.
One of the most prestigious awards in Division II, and the most significant individual honor in the Gulf South Conference, the Commissioner's Trophy is awarded annually to the student-athlete who best combines outstanding performance on the field or court and high academic achievement in the classroom with significant community service and extracurricular activities. The Trophy was first awarded in 1975, honoring the outstanding male student-athlete in the conference. In 1983, when the Conference officially began conducting women's championships, the GSC began honoring its outstanding female student-athlete as well.
