OVERLAND PARK, Kan. - Thirty NCAA® women's volleyball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates today for the 2012 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate volleyball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
University of Northern Iowa senior outside hitter Amy Braun is one of the 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award. Braun, a native of Lakeville, Minn. (North HS), is an elementary education major. Braun has accumulated 1,404 digs and 1,023 kills in her UNI career. She ranks No. 4 all-time in digs for the Panthers.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 2012 candidate class includes 16 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Americans from last season. Twenty-four of the 30 candidates have maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better. One of the candidates was recognized by the College Sports Information Directors of America as a 2011 Capital One Academic All-American. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship, which will take place December 13 and 15 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
Former Panther volleyball player Ellie Blankenship won the 2010 Senior CLASS Award.
Amy Braun's Accolades:
Classroom
Braun has a 3.71 GPA in elementary education. She was first-team all-MVC scholar-athlete team selection in 2011.
Character
Braun is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She helps organize events, meetings and scheduling/planning of events.
Community
Braun is a Northeast Iowa Food Bank volunteer, a Junior Panther Day volunteer, a Lutheran Home volunteer , Relay For Life participant, a Prairie Lakes Youth Group volunteer, Boys and Girls Club volunteer, St. Jude volunteer, and a Just Read program volunteer. She took part in the Cystic Fibrosis Golf Outing in Dike, Iowa and volunteered at Ridgeway Place.
Competition
Braun was a first team all-MVC selection in 2011. She ranked second on the team in digs with 451 (3.61/game) in 2011. She has helped UNI to a perfect 55-0 record in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season the past four years.
