AC Cox, a junior point guard on the men's basketball team, was named as the Dr. Tex Kassen Male Athlete-of-the-Year on Monday. Dr. Kassen is a former Director of Athletics who was an advocate for all student-athletes.  He expected excellence from all student-athletes who participated wearing the Southwestern uniform and had great respect for those who worked hard, were exceptional performers and exemplified great sportsmanship.

Cox was the starting point guard for the 18 win team that reached the SCAC conference championship game and served as a leader both on the court and off. He was the heart and soul of the team and his leadership has been awarded within the team serving as captain for two seasons and on-campus by being nominated for a leadership award.

On the court, Cox led the Pirates in minutes per game at 30.5 and assists with four per game which was also fifth in the SCAC. He shot an impressive 43% from behind the three-point line and a staggering 85% from the free throw line which was tops in the SCAC. Cox was also an integral part of the Pirate's defense that was 3^rd in the nation in field goal percentage defense.

Despite re-breaking his nose late in the year, Cox was a solid scoring threat and played extremely hard to become a member of the SCAC All-Tournament team and Honorable Mention All-SCAC. Cox's accomplishments went beyond the court as well as he was named to the SCAC All-Sportsmanship team and SCAC Academic Honor Roll.

Additionally, Cox is a supervisor for the Southwestern Intramural and Recreational Activities and is one of the leaders of the intramural competitions on campus. He is majoring in Business while at Southwestern and has a 3.34 overall GPA.

Cox will receive his award at one of the men's basketball games in the 2009-2010 season.