ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team
Selected by CoSIDA
Nebraskas Pavan and Wingates Brezovec Head
2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Teams
Junior outside hitter Sarah Pavan of Nebraska and senior middle blocker Rebecca Brezovec of Wingate University head the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Pavan, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, was voted as the Academic All-America of the Year in the University Division. She was chosen to the Academic All-America squad as a first-team selection for the second straight year. Pavan, who has a 4.00 grade point average in biochemistry, was recently named the 2006 Big 12 Conference Player of the Year.
Pavan, a junior outside hitter, led the nations top-ranked team to a 27-1 record and a Big 12 championship. The Cornhuskers are the No. 1 overall seed for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. A three-time first-team all-conference performer, Pavan averaged 5.22 kills per game. She led the Big 12 in both kills and points.
Joining Pavan on the University Division Academic All-America first team were Kate Bean (Toledo), Jackie Cho (New Mexico State), Christi Hahn (Texas A&M), Sarah Kirkwood (Virginia), and Heidi Krug (East Carolina).
Choi, a senior from Corpus Christi, Texas, makes her third consecutive appearance on the Academic All-America squad. She posted a 4.00 GPA in dual major of economics and accounting. Choi, a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference setter, averages 12.03 assists.
Brezovec, the South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, helped lead her team to a 25-8 record, the SAC championship and an NCAA Division II tournament bid. She led her team in kills (409) and was second on the team in hitting percentage (.328) and blocks (105). She also was named the 2006 SAC Scholar-Athlete for volleyball.
A first-team Academic All-America selection in 2005 as well, Brezovec has maintained a perfect 4.00 grade point average at Wingate, where she is majoring in sociology. She is one of four Academic All-America selections with 4.00 GPAs on the six-member first team.
Virginia Aguilar of Hardin-Simmons, another first-team selection from 2005, led her 19-15 team in hitting percentage (.331) and blocks (121), while posting a 4.00 GPA in computer science. A senior middle blocker, she was the American Southwest Conference West Division Player of the Year.
Senior middle blocker Dee Ayres of North Alabama was a key member of the Lions NCAA Division II runner-up team that finished 35-6 and won the Gulf South Conference. She was second on the team in blocks, while earning a 4.00 GPA in professional biology.
Katie Westmoreland, a senior middle blocker from Harding, helped lead her team to a 24-9 record and the Gulf South Conference West Division title. She led the team in hitting percentage (.320) and is majoring in accounting with a 4.00 GPA.
Concordias Jessica Lucia, a senior right-side hitter, set the school record for single-season kills (639), was second on the team in digs (420) and third in hitting percentage (.336). Concordia was 36-3, won the Northern Sun Conference title and finished the season ranked fourth in NCAA Division II. She carries a 3.85 GPA, is majoring in math education and was a second-team Academic All-America selection in 2005.
Senior outside hitter Sarah Shearman led her Truman team to the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association crown, while earning the leagues MVP award. Truman was ranked #1 in NCAA Division II for part of the season and finished 36-2, ranked sixth in the final poll. Shearman topped her team in kills (409) and digs (490). She is majoring in psychology with a 3.77 GPA.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the programs inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
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2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Team (University Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Name School District Position Class Hometown GPA/Major(s)
*Kate Bean University of Toledo IV Outside Hitter Senior Louisville, Ky. 3.98,Community Health
*^Jackie Choi New Mexico State Univ. VI Setter Senior Corpus Christi, TX 4.00, Economics & Accounting
+Christi Hahn Texas A&M Univ. VI Middle Blocker Senior Leander, Texas 4.00, Kinesiology &
Exercise Science
#Sarah Kirkwood Univ. of Virginia III Outside Hitter Junior Tampa, Fla. 3.92, Cognitive
Science/Pre-Medicine
+Heidi Krug East Carolina Univ. III Setter Senior Kildeer, Ill. 4.00, Biology
*Sarah Pavan Univ. of Nebraska VII Outside Hitter Junior Kitchener, Ontario 4.00, Biochemistry
Second Team
Name School District Position Class Hometown GPA/Major(s)
Tiffany Baker McNeese State Univ. VI Middle Blocker Senior League City, Texas 4.00, Health & Human
Performance
Abbey Breit Jacksonville Univ. IV OH/Middle Blocker Junior Louisville, Ky. 3.90, Chemistry
Claire Jackson IPFW VII OH/Libero Senior Fort Wayne, Ind. 4.00, Biology
Danielle Meyer Ohio State Univ. IV Middle Hitter Junior Cincinnati, Ohio 3.98, Textile & Clothing
+^Courtney ThompsonWashington Univ. VIII Setter Senior Kent, Wash. 3.52, Business Administration
Jessica Vander Kooi Univ. of Missouri VII Outside Hitter Senior Hinton, Iowa 3.84, International Business
Third Team
Name School District Position Class Hometown GPA, Major(s)
Kristen Bitter University of Oregon VIII Middle Blocker Senior Roseburg, Ore. 4.07, Business Administration
Kelsey Fautsch Univ. of Tennessee IV Outside Hitter/RS Senior Chisago Lakes, Minn. 3.91, Accounting
Emily Greisch Creighton Univ. VII Def. Specialist Senior Omaha, Neb. 4.00, Nursing
Lindsy Hartsock Brigham Young Univ. VIII Middle Blocker Senior Inkom, Idaho 3,60, Community Health & Family Living
Ali Hausfeld Duke Univ. III Setter Junior Springboro, Ohio 3.38, Biology
Cheryl Hegemann Univ. of Wis.-Milwaukee V Middle Blocker Senior Waterford, Wis.
3.76, Education
Sheila Parrish North Dakota State Univ. VII Outside Hitter Senior Fargo, N.D. 3.92, Human Performance/Pre-Medicine
Rachel Shanks Auburn Univ. IV Outside Hitter Junior Madison, Ala. 4.00, Biomedical Sciences
*2005 Academic All-America First Team
#2005 Academic All-America Second Team
+2005 Academic All-America Third Team
^2004 Academic All-America Third Team
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA OF THE YEAR: Sarah Pavan, University of Nebraska
2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Team (College Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First Team
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA/Major(s)
Virginia Aguilar* Hardin-Simmons University VI Senior Kalaheo, Hawaii 4.00, Computer Science
Dee Ayres University of North Alabama IV Sr. Rainbow City, Ala.
4.00, Prof. Biology
Rebecca Brezovec* Wingate University III Sr. Durham, N.C.
4.00, Sociology
Jessica Lucia+ Concordia (Minn.) University V Sr. Plymouth, Minn.
3.85, Math Education
Sarah Shearman Truman State University VII Sr. Manchester, Mo. 3.77, Psychology
Katie Westmoreland Harding University VI Sr. Cordova, Tenn.
4.00, Accounting
*First-team selection in 2005
+Second-team selection in 2005
Second Team
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA/Major
Shanna Berger University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire V Sr. Baldwin, Wis.
3.96, Chemistry
Kelly Downs Elizabethtown College II Jr. Airville, Pa
4.00, Occupational Therapy
Nicole Hahn Wilkes University II Sr. Catasauqua, Pa.
4.00, Pharmacy
Susan Johnson Univeristy of Rochester I Sr. Salamanca, N.Y. 3.45, Mechanical Engineering
Ashley Olson Concordia (Minn.) University V Sr. Circle Pines, Minn.
4.00, Math
Kathryn Phillips Lenoir-Rhyne University III Sr. Lexington, N.C.
4.00, Psychology
Third Team
Name School Dist. Yr. Hometown GPA/Major(s)
Meryn Grant Colorado College VII Jr. Calgary, Alberta
4.00, Economics
Traci Knuth Armstrong Atlantic State Univ. III Sr. Columbus, Neb.
3.86, Health Science
Kelsey Kyro Concordia (Minn.) University V Sr. Minneapolis, Minn.
3.72, Comm. Studies
Darryl Manzer Skidmore College I Sr. Camden, N.Y.
3.60, Molecular Biology
Jorl Simmons Carthage College` V Jr. Frankfort, Ill.
3.93 Bus. Admin.
Stacey Vogel Mesa State (Colo.) VII Sr. Grand Junction, Colo. 3.93 Nursing
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA OF THE YEAR: Rebecca Brezovec, Wingate University