CHARLESTON, S.C. – Former UNCG women's basketball coach Lynne Agee has been named one of 12 recipients of the Southern Conference's 2011 Distinguished Service Award, the league office announced Tuesday. The award winners will be honored at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Charleston, S.C., on Wednesday.
The Distinguished Service Award program was instituted in 2002 as a way for the SoCon to recognize individuals from its member schools whose contributions have affected all aspects of their respective universities. Joining Agee among this year's honorees are: Mark Harrill (Appalachian State), Tomi Youngblood (College of Charleston), Jesse B. Jackson (The Citadel), Ben T. Vernon Jr. (Davidson), Dr. and Mrs. W. Bryan Latham (Elon), Ray and Pat Ballew (Furman), Ted S. Smith (Georgia Southern), Michael Rice (Samford), J. Lewis Card Jr. (Chattanooga), Kevin and Lynn Stanberry (Western Carolina) and Harry Pinkney Williams Jr. (Wofford).
"I'm glad we have an opportunity to recognize Lynne with the SoCon Distinguished Service Award," UNCG Director of Athletics Kim Record said. "She joins a small but elite group of individuals who have been instrumental in UNCG's athletic success."
Agee retired after the 2010-11 season after a 33-year career that saw her amass more than 600 wins. In 30 seasons at UNCG, Agee was 556-311 and became the first women's basketball coach to lead a team to the NCAA tournament in all three divisions. She directed UNCG to nine NCAA berths – including a Division III national title game appearance in 1982, her first season at the helm – and a WNIT appearance in her tenure.
The first active UNCG coach to be enshrined in the school's Athletics Hall of Fame, Agee was a seven-time conference coach of the year in her career, taking the honor twice in the Southern Conference (1998-99 and 2001-02). Agee, who coached six All-Americans at UNCG, was inducted into the Guilford County Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Agee turned in 17 20-win seasons during her career, with 16 of them coming at UNCG. Her squads won 13 conference championships, including five straight Big South regular-season titles from 1992-97. Agee directed the Spartans to a SoCon tournament title in 1998, their first season in the league, to lead UNCG to its first-ever Division I NCAA berth.
UNCG went an incredible 197-80 at Fleming Gymnasium during Agee's tenure, turning in winning records in 18 of the 22 seasons since the facility opened in 1989. The court at Fleming Gym will be named in Agee's honor beginning next season.
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