AUGUSTA, Ga. - The award season has begun with three Columbus State University men's basketball players picking up postseason Peach Belt Conference honors on Thursday.

CSU forward Hunter Preston was named to the All-PBC first team, while guard Langston Gaither was a second-team honoree. 

Also, Nelson Haskin made CSU history as the feared shot-blocker was named the PBC Defender of the Year. He is the first Cougar to earn the distinction since the award's inception in 2009-10. 

Preston, a second-team All-PBC selection in 2020-21, is one of the most consistent players in the Southeast Region, averaging 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. The forward is shooting 49.9% (172-for-345) from the floor, the fifth-best mark in the PBC. Preston also chips in nearly two assists per game (1.7) and has rejected 34 shots this year. 

The Captian has excelled down the stretch for the Cougars, averaging 18.4 points and 9.8 rebounds since the beginning of February. Overall, the Mobile, Ala. native has eight double-doubles and  20-plus point outings. Preston ranks ninth in the PBC in scoring and fifth in rebounding, heading into the conference semifinals on Friday.

In 72 career games for CSU, Preston is averaging 12.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. He needs 90 points to reach 1,000 career points and eight blocks to move into 10th on the all-time Cougar block shot list.

After transferring from Francis Marion University, Gaither has made an instant impact on the Cougars. The guard leads Columbus State in scoring, averaging 17.2 points in 26 games this season. He is one of four players in the league averaging over 17 points per game and has the second-best single-game scoring performance in the PBC after pouring in 37 against Clayton State University on Jan. 8. 

The Alexandria, Va. native also ranks 10th in the PBC in assists per game (3.1) and is shooting 78.4% (120-for-153) from the free throw line, the sixth-best mark in the league.

Haskin is putting together one of the finest defensive seasons in Columbus State history. The forward leads the PBC and is seventh in the nation (DII level) with 70 blocks, including rejecting five or more shots in four games in 2021-22. The Demopolis, Ala. native sent back seven shots on Jan. 26 against Georgia Southwestern University, which still stands as the most blocks by a PBC player in a game this season. 

In addition to roaming the paint, Haskin has flexed his muscles in the paint, averaging 7.2 rebounds per game. He is currently seventh in the league in rebounding and has four 10-plus rebound games entering Friday night. Haskin also plays a key role in the Cougar offense, averaging 9.1 points per game and chips in over an assist per game (1.1).

Hunter and Gaither become the 12th and 13th All-PBC selections under 12th-year head coach Robert Moore. Moore has now coached three first-team All-PBC players.