Jamie Achten and Jeremy Lawson have played key roles in helping Lee University continue to garner a place on the elite list of NAIA college athletics. As a result of their work on the playing field and in the classroom, the seniors have been named the 2012 winners of the annual Dr. Charles Paul Conn Student Athlete of the Year Awards.

Jamie, the daughter of Jeff and Jolene Achten, is no doubt the most awarded women’s soccer player to grace the pitch at the Lee Soccer Field. She was named the NAIA Player of the Year in both her junior and senior seasons, the first NAIA player to accomplish the feat twice. She is an Academic All-American and was recently named the Female Athlete of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. As a result of a Lee faculty vote, Achten recently received the prestigious F.J. Lee Award.

A native of Franklin, Achten had her Lee University jersey retired this past February. She owns the Lee and NAIA record for most career assists with 91 and was named to the NAIA All-American First Team for four consecutive years.

“Jamie’s recognition as the Conn Award winner is something that is again very deserved to demonstrate the quality of her career as a student athlete at Lee,” said coach Matt Yelton. “She possesses outstanding character, a first-rate performance in the classroom, and her athletic career will go down as one of the best in the history of the NAIA.”

Yelton added, “Her career will stand the test of time, not just for what she accomplished in her athletic endeavors, but more importantly because of the character that she demonstrated in achieving her goals.”

Jeremy is the son of Joe and Kathy Lawson of Hixson and has been a solid member of the Lee golf team for the past four years. He was a key member of the Lee club that won the Southern States Athletic Conference Tournament in April. He is a three-time member of the All-SSAC Academic Team and a two-time All-NAIA Scholar. He’ll be trying to help the Flames win a national title when they travel to Salem, Oregon to take part in the NAIA National Tournament for the second straight year, and three of the four years Lawson was a member of the squad.

“Jeremy is just a high quality young man,” Lee golf coach John Maupin said. “He is very deserving of this award, and I know it means a lot to him. He comes from a great family, and I think this award is a credit to his parents as well. Jeremy is the complete package; great golfer, outstanding student, and he does it all with impeccable character.”