CSU's Brooke Nail Named PBC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
BY CSU Sports Information
HILTON HEAD, S.C. –Columbus State University women's soccer player Brooke Nail was selected as the 2018-2019 Peach Belt Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the annual conference awards dinner in Hilton Head, S.C.
Nail becomes the seventh CSU student-athlete and fifth female to win the conference's highest individual honor. The award is chosen by the league's Faculty Athletic Representatives and has been given out since the 1991-92 athletic year.
"If you are looking for the perfect example of a student-athlete, you found it in Brooke," said CSU head women's soccer coach Jay Entlich. "The moment she stepped foot on this campus she was determined on and off the field and we cherished every second that we had her in our program. I couldn't be prouder of what she accomplished and I know she will find success in anything that she puts her mind to in the future."
A four-year starter, Nail played multiple positions for the Lady Cougars throughout her career. Nail started as a defender and was a key component to one of the nation's best defensive backlines. As her career progressed, so did the offense for the Douglasville native. Nail scored a pair of goals in her sophomore and junior seasons before moving up top and exploding for seven in 2018.
After starting her career as a walk-on, Nail didn't miss a match for Columbus State in four seasons appearing in 91 contests. During that time, CSU amassed a 77-11-3 overall record, reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four twice and won the PBC regular season championship in all four years. In addition, CSU captured three PBC Tournament titles.
Off the field, Nail was quite active in the CSU community. She served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as well as being the treasurer for the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). During her career, she was named to the PBC All-Academic team and PBC Presidential Honor Roll in all three seasons in which she was eligible and also traveled to England to take part in the Oxford University Study Aboard program with the Lady Cougar team this past spring.
Earlier this month, Nail graduated cum laude with a degree in political science. She recently passed her LSAT and will begin law school this fall at Mercer University.
"Brooke is the epitome of a high-achieving student-athlete," added Columbus State Director of AthleticsTodd Reeser. "She has been and will continue to be a wonderful representative of CSU Athletics, and we congratulate her on this fantastic recognition."
Nail is Columbus State's first PBC Scholar-Athlete of the Year since 2016 when the Cougars swept both the male and female awards. That year baseball player Blake Edwards and women's soccer player Shelby Rolling took home the honors. Other former CSU PBC Scholar-Athletes of the Year include: Kayla Brown, Chad Andrae, Michelle Miller and Emily Chambers.