Lexington, KY.—This afternoon, the American Volleyball Coaches Association announced that the University of Minnesota Crookston volleyball team was one of 1,125 teams across the nation to be awarded with the AVCA Team Academic Award for the 2018-2019 season.
The 1,125 programs that earned the award shatters the previous record of 977 that was set last season.
The award, which was initiated in the 1992-93 academic year, honors collegiate and high school volleyball teams that displayed excellence in the classroom during the school year by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team grade-point average on a 4.0 scale or a 4.10 cumulative team GPA on a 5.0 scale.
When the award started in the 1992-1993 season, there were just 62 award winners in the first season. In 2012-13, the award was given out to 623 programs and has increased in the seven years since 2012.
The Golden Eagles are one of 141 division II schools to win the award, as well as being one of the 13 programs in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to win the award. The other NSIC schools to receive the award include: Augustana University, Bemidji State University, Concordia University-St. Paul, Northern State University, St. Cloud State University, Upper Iowa University, University of Mary, Minnesota State University-Mankato, University of Sioux Falls, Wayne State College and Winona State University.
The Golden Eagles had an impressive eight upperclassmen achieve a 3.30 GPA or higher last season, including: last year's only senior
Callie Schapekahm,
Sabrina Leuer (R-Sr., OH, Hamel, Minn.),
Kaitlin Sikkink (R-Sr., MH, St. Charles, Minn.), Ali Scheuler (R-Sr., DS/Lib., Howards Grove, Wis.),
Alyssa Thomas (R-Jr., OH, Marian, Iowa),
Sydney Kruisselbrink (Jr., S, Rochester, Minn.),
Deaira Gresham (Jr., OH, Maplewood, Minn.) and Katie Lienamann (Jr., DS, Rosemount, Minn.).
On the court, the Golden Eagles season is fast approaching. Head coach
Sarah Rauen enters her third season at the helm of Minnesota Crookston and they kick off the season in Houghton, Mich., on Fri., Sept. 6 against Wisconsin-Parkside at 12 p.m.
