VALDOSTA – The days of dusty cleats and clay-stained uniforms have passed for Courtney Albritton, but the storied career of the Sycamore Blazer softball standout isn’t over just yet. Albritton represents one of 10 student-athletes that make up the league’s 19th annual “Top Ten” Award winners, as announced by the Gulf South Conference office on Monday.

Albritton, who overcame a potential career-ending injury during the 2015 season and returned to break the GSC record for career hits with 317, makes her second consecutive appearance on the “Top Ten” list, which features the top five female and top five males student-athletes in the conference. Of the ten honorees, one female and one male will be selected as the winner of the prestigious Commissioner’s Trophy, an honor Albritton secured last year in succession to Morgan Johnson, who won the award twice as a Valdosta State softball player in both 2012 and 2013. Albritton, an All-GSC, All-Region, and All-American player in each of her four seasons as a Blazer, is the 18th back-to-back “Top Ten” honoree in GSC history.

“Although my time as a collegiate student-athlete in the Gulf South Conference is over, it will always be a part of who I am,” stated Albritton. “The amount I have grown as an athlete, in my faith, as a person, and as a leader will always be with me. The love of serving others that has been created through my hours of community service, the leadership that I have developed during my years as a team captain, and the skills I’ve obtained through my time in the classroom have all prepared me to be successful in the years to come.”

As a “Top Ten” award winner, Albritton will travel to the Sandestin Beach Resort in Destin, Fla. to attend the GSC’s Annual Awards Banquet, where the conference will announce the 2015 Commissioner’s Trophy winner. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday evening and can be viewed in its entirety via a live stream. A “Top Ten” picture album is also available on the GSC’s facebook page.

The “Top Ten” are selected with the assistance of an advisory committee representing the ADs, SWAs, SIDs, FARs and Presidents from randomly selected GSC schools, which makes a recommendation to the Commissioner, who has the final decision. The awards are given based on athletic, academic, and extracurricular achievement during the 2014-15 season.

VSU