AUGUSTA, Ga. -- For just the third time in the 17-year history of the Peach Belt Conference, one institution has swept the Peach Belt Conference’s Men’s Basketball major awards.

Augusta State’s regular-season success was recognized Tuesday when the Jaguars won the Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Awards, the league office announced. ASU also achieved the feat in 1998-99 (Gary Tuell, Kavossy Franklin and Gary Boodnikoff) and Kennesaw State pulled off the triple in 2002-03.

Augusta State third-year head coach Dip Metress was tabbed the Peach Belt’s Coach of the Year after guiding the Jaguars to a 22-5 record -- the most wins for the program since 2001-02 -- and to their first PBC regular-season championship since the 1998-99 season. Under Metress, the Jags earned their first national ranking in 30 years and moved up to as high as eighth in the nation last week. Metress is the first ASU head coach to be named Coach-of-the-Year since Gary Tuell won the award following the 2001-02 season.

Tyrekus “AJ” Bowman, a 6-5 junior forward from Tignall, Ga., was named the PBC Player of the Year after winning the conference scoring title, leading the Jags with a 20.4 ppg. scoring average and ranking in the top 10 in the league in seven categories. Bowman scored in double figures in 26 of 27 regular-season games and scored 20 or more points on 16 occasions.

Bowman is the fifth Jaguar to win PBC Player-of-the-Year honors, joining Derek Stewart (1992-93), William Adair (1993-94), Kavossy Franklin (1998-99) and Gary Boodnikoff (2001-02).

Ben Madgen, a 6-4 freshman guard/forward from Williamstown, Australia, was named the PBC Freshman of the Year after leading all freshmen in scoring at 15.7 ppg. and ranking among the conference’s top 10 in scoring, field goal percentage, three-pointers made, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

Madgen is the third Jaguar in the last four years to win Freshman of the Year honors, the fourth Australian to claim the award -- joining Gary Boodnikoff (1999), Tommy Greer (2004) and Cameron Tovey (2005) -- and the fifth ASU freshman overall to win the award. Oliver Ottley was ASU’s first PBC Freshman-of-the-Year in 1996-97.

Bowman and Madgen were also named to the PBC’s All-Conference team and were joined on the squad by teammate Garret Siler. A 6-11, 304-pound sophomore center from Augusta, Siler currently leads the nation in field goal percentage and ranks eighth in blocks. He also ranked third on the Jaguar squad in scoring behind Bowman and Madgen. The Jaguars placed three players on the all-conference squad for the first time since the 1991-92 season, ASU’s first year as a member of the PBC.

The PBC Tournament begins Wed., Feb. 28 at Finis Horne Arena on the campus of Lander University in Greenwood, S.C. ASU is slated to play in the quarterfinals of the PBC Tournament on Fri., March 2 at 3:00 p.m. The Jags will face the winner of Wednesday’s first-round matchup between UNC Pembroke and Georgia College & State.

2007 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Basketball All-Conference Team

Jay Anderson, North Georgia
Norbey Aragon, Georgia Southwestern
TYREKUS “AJ” BOWMAN, AUGUSTA STATE
Aaron Clark, Georgia College & State
Tory Harris, Armstrong Atlantic State
Jarred Jackson, Lander
BEN MADGEN, AUGUSTA STATE
Todd McLaurin, Clayton State
Adrian Robinson, Georgia Southwestern
Ron Robinson, Columbus State
GARRET SILER, AUGUSTA STATE
Bryan Taylor, Armstrong Atlantic State

Player of the Year: TYREKUS “AJ” BOWMAN, AUGUSTA STATE
Freshman of the Year: BEN MADGEN, AUGUSTA STATE
Coach of the Year: DIP METRESS, AUGUSTA STATE