DC's Sales Nets Pair of Regional Awards

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College's Nick Sales was recently honored with a pair of All-Midwest Region accolades, as the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference's Player of the Year garnered the nods from D3hoops.com and the National Association of Basketball Coaches.

Sales was the only student-athlete from the HCAC to make either list and was named Second-Team All-Midwest Region by D3hoops.com, while taking First-Team All-Midwest District honors from the NABC. The awards marked the third year in a row that a Yellow Jacket has been nationally recognized by D3hoops and the NABC, after Anthony Pettaway was honored in 2008 and 2009.

The three-time All-HCAC selection had his finest collegiate campaign on the planks during the 2009-2010 season, while leading Defiance to a 23-6 overall record. The 23 victories were the most for any Yellow Jacket team in the NCAA Division III era, which dates back to the 1991-1992 year. Sales set career highs with 453 points, 237 rebounds, 76 assists and 64 steals, while leading DC to the 2010 HCAC Tournament Championship and the program's fourth trip to the NCAA National Tournament and first since 2001.

Sales raised his game even more on the national stage, setting season highs with 27 points and 15 rebounds in Defiance's opening-round, 75-71, loss to No. 8 UW-Whitewater. Along with leading all players in points and boards, Sales also logged game-highs with five steals and four assists to push the Jackets to the brink of their first NCAA Tournament victory in school history.

The Barberton, Ohio, native fueled Defiance all season, leading the way with 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.2 thefts per game. Sales also topped the charts with eight double-double performances, while leading the squad in scoring 19 times and topping the roster in rebounds in 12 contests.

The outstanding senior campaign helped to cement Sales' status as one of the most prolific players to come through the Defiance College men's basketball program. Along with playing in all 109 games and helping DC to a 77-32 clip and a pair of HCAC Championships in that span, Sales ends his career ranked 16th in program history with 1,383 points, fourth with 833 rebounds, second with 79 blocks and first with a career .605 field goal percentage.