Rock Hill, S.C. —- Catawba College Athletics placed second in the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award standings, the department's highest finish since the 2006-07 academic year, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.
 
Catawba earned 1,534 points, awarded to the league's 12 institutions based on their regular season finish in the SAC standings or at the league's conference meet/tournament. From a year ago, Catawba jumped third-place Lenoir-Rhyne, who had not finished behind Catawba since 2010-11.
 
The second-place mark matches Catawba's highest finish since Catawba last won the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award in 2004-05.
 
Catawba earned first-place finishes in women's soccer, baseball, men's tennis and women's tennis with runner-up finishes in women's cross country, men's and women's swimming and men's and women's outdoor track and field.
 
Catawba has not moved backwards in the SAC Echols Excellence Award standings since it finished ninth in 2017-18. Just four years ago, Catawba placed seventh in the year-long race.