Michigan State University Athletics
Kelsay Headlines Academic Honorees
12/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 12, 2013
East Lansing, Mich. - - Academic honors were announced for the Michigan State volleyball team on Thursday, headlined by senior co-captian Kristen Kelsay (Wheaton, Ill.) being named to the Capital One Academic All-America Team. Kelsay, a psychology major, was named to the third team, one of two Big Ten athletes among the 18 Academic All-America selections.
To qualify for Academic All-America honors, student-athletes must be a of sophomore academic standing, have a GPA of 3.3 or higher, and be a starter or significant contributor to their team.
In addition, Kelsay is among the six MSU volleyball athletes named Academic All-Big Ten. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.0 or higher.
Joining Kelsay is senior Lauren Wicinski (Geneva, Ill.), junior Kori Moster (Cincinnati, Ohio), sophomores Maggie Halloran (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Kristen Muir (Plymouth, Mich.), Halle Peterson (Rockford, Mich.).
Kelsay, who boasts a 3.85 grade-point average, is a two-year captain, and has helped lead MSU into the NCAA Sweet 16 for the second straight season. On the court, she has amassed more than 3,000 career assists, good for sixth in the MSU record book. This current senior class has posted the most victories (85) for an MSU team since 2000. In the classroom, she is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished scholar and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, and has twice been MSU's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Kelsay joins Dana Cooke (1995, 1996), Val Sterk (1996) and Jenilee Rathje (2011) as the program's Academic All-America recipients.
Moster is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten pick, while the other four are earning their first Academic All-Big Ten distinction. Wicinski, a senior, is a transfer student, but she earns the honor in her first season of eligibility. Halloran is one of the 20 fall Academic All-Big Ten student-athletes (874 total) who have boast a perfect 4.0 GPA.
"I am very proud of all of our athletes who earned academic honors, and Kristen has achieved something that is very difficult to do," said head coach Cathy George. "With the strength of student-athlete in our sport, Academic All-America honors are very difficult to achieve. Kristen has been a leader in our program since she came in, and set a very good example. Seeing six of our athletes earn Academic All-Big Ten honors is fantastic too - from Maggie [Halloran] having a 4.0, and such a high level of achievement overall, its a nice feather in the cap of our program."
CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® DIVISION I VOLLEYBALL TEAM
FIRST TEAMName School Yr. Hometown GPA MajorStephanie Arnold Eastern Illinois Sr. Oregon, Wis. 4.00 Biological SciencesNatalie Hagglund Southern California Sr. Encinitas, Calif. 3.59 CommunicationsCamila Jersonsky Auburn Sr. Buenos Aires, Argentina 3.86 Engineering (Dbl. Major)Shelby Kintzel Northern Iowa Sr. Mount Vernon, Iowa 4.00 Elem. Ed., Math. Literacy Ed.Sallie McLaurin Oklahoma Sr. Midwest City, Okla. 3.73 Health & Exercise ScienceKatie Slay Penn State Sr. Raleigh, N.C. 3.64 Comm. Sciences & Disorders
SECOND TEAMName School Yr. Hometown GPA MajorEmma Deininger Radford Jr. Wallingford, Pa. 4.00 Accounting FinanceBecca Haraf Liberty Sr. Arlington Heights, Ill. 4.00 Biology, Pre-MedAyesha Hein U.S. Air Force Academy Jr. Honolulu, Hawaii 3.99 Astronautical EngineeringAnnika Foit LIU Brooklyn Jr. Hausach, Germany 3.97 ChemistryElizabeth Koberstein Marquette Sr. Madison, Wis. 3.77 NursingMacy Ubben Northern Iowa Sr. Ackley, Iowa 3.93 Biology & Biochemistry
THIRD TEAMName School Yr. Hometown GPA MajorCourtney Cohen Troy Sr. Woodstock, Ga. 3.96 Biomedical SciencesKristen Kelsay Michigan State Sr. Wheaton, Ill 3.85 PsychologyAli McCurdy Duke Sr. Tampa, Fla. 3.43 SociologyBrieanna Merriwether North Carolina State Sr. Orlando, Fla. 3.98 Biological SciencesVeronica Munkeby North Dakota Gr. Lisbon, N.D. 4.00 Exer. Science (UG); General(G)Bailey Webster Texas Gr. Baltimore, Md. 3.43 AdvertisingChelsea Wintzinger Auburn Sr. Huntsville, Ala. 3.93 Pharmacy
