Record 11 Wildcats Named Academic All-Big 12
Nov 15, 2016 | Volleyball
MANHATTAN,
Kan. – A program-record 11 Kansas State volleyball student-athletes
were named to the 2016 Academic All-Big 12 Team, including nine on the first
team, as the conference office announced the full 60-member list Tuesday. K-State,
along with Oklahoma, earned the highest number of representatives in the
conference.
Seniors Katie
Brand (Life Sciences) and Kersten
Kober (Accounting) headline the record-setting group of 11 Wildcats, as the
two were among five players this season to turn in a perfect 4.0 GPA. Brand is K-State’s
first four-time honoree since Jenny Jantsch (2005-08) and is just the third
Wildcat ever to be honored four times. Kober was named to the first team with a
4.0 GPA for the third straight year.
This is the first time K-State has had multiple
student-athletes honored with 4.0 GPAs since the 2008 season.
Other first-team selections include Mattie Batchelder (Kinesiology), Macy Flowers (Animal Sciences &
Industry/Pre-Vet), Zsofia Gyimes
(Business Administration), Katie
Reininger (English-Creative Writing), Brooke
Sassin (Family Studies & Human Services), Alyssa Schultejans (Accounting) and Bryna Vogel (Animal Sciences & Industry/Production Management).
Reininger, a redshirt senior middle blocker,
earned her third-career honor while Batchelder, Sassin and Vogel are each named
to the first team for the second consecutive season. Sophomores Flowers, Gyimes
and Schultejans each collect their first award.
Redshirt sophomores Devan Fairfield (Social Sciences) and Kylee Zumach (Family Studies & Human Services) were both named
to the second team. Fairfield, a defensive specialist, was named to the second
team for the second straight year while Zumach earned her first-career recognition.
The success in the classroom balances with the
group’s on-the-court contributions as well. Brand and Kober are the team
leaders in assists and digs, respectively, while Sassin, Vogel, Zumach,
Reininger and Schultejans rank first through fifth, in order, on the team in
kills. Fairfield is just one of two Wildcats to play in all 100 sets this
season.
This marks the sixth straight year that K-State
has had at least six selections, totaling 47 over that stretch. The Cats have
earned the most overall Academic All-Big 12 honors in conference history (141)
as well as the most first-team selections (119). Under head coach Suzie Fritz,
K-State has earned 112 distinctions, also the most in the conference since
2001.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a
3.00 GPA or higher, either cumulative or the two previous semesters, and must
have participated in 60 percent of their team’s scheduled contests. Freshmen
and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence.
Senior student-athletes who participated for a minimum of two years and meet
all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.
First-team selections achieve a GPA of 3.20 or
better while second-team honorees maintain a GPA ranging from 3.00-3.19.
K-State (18-8, 7-6 Big 12) welcomes Oklahoma (14-12,
5-8) on Wednesday in its second-to-last home match of the season. The Cats took
a four-set decision in Norman back on Oct. 15 and seek to sweep the season
series with the Sooners for the second straight year. First serve is scheduled
for 7 p.m., at Ahearn Field House.
The match will be broadcast nationally on FOX
College Sports Central and worldwide on K-StateHD.TV, with Brian Smoller
calling the action and former Wildcat Liz Wegner-Busch serving as match
analyst. Fans can also listen to Rob Voelker call the match on local radio at
1350 KMAN and at k-statesports.com.
|
2016 ACADEMIC ALL-BIG 12 TEAM |
|||
|
Name |
Class |
Major |
Hometown |
|
Mattie
Batchelder# |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Colorado
Springs, Colo. |
|
Katie
Brand$% |
RS
Sr. |
Life
Sciences |
Grand
Island, Neb. |
|
Macy
Flowers* |
So. |
Animal
Sciences & Industry/Pre-Vet |
Chanute,
Kan. |
|
Zsofia
Gyimes* |
So. |
Business
Administration |
Budapest,
Hungary |
|
Kersten
Kober$^ |
Sr. |
Accounting |
Southlake,
Texas |
|
Katie
Reininger^ |
RS
Sr. |
English-Creative
Writing |
Colorado
Springs, Colo. |
|
Brooke
Sassin# |
Sr. |
Family
Studies & Human Services |
San
Antonio, Texas |
|
Alyssa
Schultejans* |
So. |
Accounting |
Silver
Lake, Kan. |
|
Bryna
Vogel# |
Jr. |
Animal
Sciences & Industry/Production Management |
Clearwater,
Kan. |
|
Second Team (3.00-3.19 GPA) |
|||
|
Devan
Fairfield# |
RS
So. |
Social
Sciences |
Grain
Valley, Mo. |
|
Kylee
Zumach* |
RS
So. |
Family
Studies & Human Services |
Buffalo, Minn. |
$
4.0 GPA
* First-career honor
# Second-career honor
^ Third-career honor
% Fourth-career honor
