University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men’s cross country student-athlete Mark Britt is the recipient of the David Knight Graduate Scholarship the Southern Conference announced Friday. He is one of 10 student-athletes who will be honored for their accomplishments at the Southern Conference Honors Dinner in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Tuesday, May 28.
This year’s honorees include: Dave Hart Scholarship recipient Matt Mattis (UNC Greensboro); Dorothy Hicks Scholarship recipient Malloree Schurr (ETSU); Insurance Office of America Scholarship recipient Leigh Haynes (Samford); David Knight Scholarship recipient Mark Britt (Chattanooga); Bob McCloskey Insurance Scholarship recipients Logan Miller (The Citadel) and Amanda Thompson (Mercer); William V.
Moore Scholarship presented by McMillan Pazdan Smith recipient Krista Boesing (Samford); Southern Conference Presidential Scholarship recipients Cassidy Hicks (Wofford) and Savannah Taranto (Western Carolina); and Sports Medicine Institute Scholarship presented by Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System recipient Gabrielle Charles (UNC Greensboro).
The recipients are nominated by their schools and selected by the Southern Conference Graduate Scholar Committee. The scholarships, worth $2,000 each, are awarded to student-athletes about to receive their undergraduate degrees who intend to pursue advanced degrees in graduate or professional school. The student-athletes are evaluated on academics, athletics and community service.’'
Britt was the Mocs’ top finisher at the NCAA South Regional, capping a senior season in which he set a personal record in an 8K race at the Greater Louisville Classic and turned in his best collegiate finish, seventh, at the Berry College Invitational.
A three-time scorer for Chattanooga at the SoCon Cross Country Championships, Britt, who boasts a 3.917 GPA in exercise science, helped the Mocs post top-10 team GPA finishes in the nation in each of his four seasons, including leading the nation in 2015.
The Lebanon, Tennessee, native has logged hundreds of volunteer hours in the community, volunteering at an inpatient rehab facility, serving on UTC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, collecting data for NFL concussion research, volunteering at the Chattanooga Ironman and the Half Ironman World Championships and serving as an assistant coach for Girls on the Run, an after-school program for elementary girls.
Britt also served as a leadership member for Team Impact, a program through which the Mocs “drafted” a young boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy who has participated in team events and cheered the Mocs while inspiring the team and helping Britt realize the positive influence he could provide for children with disabilities as a physical therapist.
A member of UTC’s prestigious and selective Brock Scholars Program, Britt has been accepted into Chattanooga’s Doctorate of Physical Therapy program and will begin in the fall as he embarks upon a career in physical therapy.