Pac-12 Announces Volleyball and Soccer Scholar-Athletes of the Year
SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference has named Scholar-Athletes of the Year for volleyball and men’s and women’s soccer. WASHINGTON’s Krista Vansant was tabbed the volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while CALIFORNIA’s Omid Jalali was named the men’s soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year and UCLA’s Sarah Killion was selected the women’s soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Vansant, a senior from Redlands, Calif., holds a 3.30 grade point average (GPA) in sociology, and was a 2013 Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention, named twice to the Dean’s List. The outside hitter was the 2013 AVCA National Player of the Year, Pac-12 Player of the Year, and the recipient of the 2013 Honda Award for volleyball, along with earning first team All-American honors. Vansant also broke the Pac-12 record for career player of the week honors with 10 in her four years as a Husky. She is currently third in the Pac-12 in kills per set with 4.65 and in points per set with 5.30.
Jalali, a senior from Irvine, Calif., is a three-time first team Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, maintaining a 3.81 GPA in Business Administration, while on a pre-med track. He is one of three Golden Bears co-captains and made 15 appearances for California this season, scoring four goals. Jalali helped the Golden Bears advance to third round of this year’s NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament. Jalali is a two-time Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-District Eight Team member.
Killion, a senior from Fort Wayne, Ind., has a 3.70 GPA in psychology and is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection. The midfielder was named to the 2014 Senior CLASS Award nomination list and the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. A three-time first team All-Pac-12 honoree, Killion has also earned first-team NSCAA Scholar All-America and All-West Region in addition to two second-team Capital One Academic All-District honors. Her 32 assists are tied for second all-time at UCLA, finishing her career with 13 goals in 88 games.
In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 22 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.