OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Thirty NCAA women’s volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates today for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2012 candidate class includes 16 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans from last season. Twenty-four of the 30 candidates have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. One of the candidates was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as a 2011 Capital One Academic All-American. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2012 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship, which will take place December 13 and 15 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Volleyball Candidates
Lesli Akeo, Siena
Andrea Beck, Wake Forest
Alaina Bergsma, Oregon
Megan Bober, Creighton
Amy Braun, Northern Iowa
Danielle Carlson, Marquette
Karissa Cook, Stanford
Dana Cranston, Colorado State
Kasey Elswick, Tennessee-Martin
Ashley Frazier, Kentucky
Katie Fuller, Southern California
Krysta Gardner, Bethune-Cookman
Christiana Gray, Duke
Andrea Hannasch, San Diego State
Altrese Hawkins, Memphis
Rachel Iaquaniello, Eastern Michigan
Rachael Kidder, UCLA
Faimie Kingsley, Denver
Rachel Krabacher, Dayton
Alison Landwehr, Iowa State
Gina Mancuso, Nebraska
Lindsey Miller, Texas A&M
Jodi Purdy, Wyoming
Taylor Root, Valparaiso
Robin Rostratter, California
Sam Serley, UAB
Jamie Straube, Iowa State
Ariel Turner, Purdue
Kate Van Dyke, Georgia Southern
Breanne Van Every, Idaho State