Arneson earns all-academic honors for second consecutive year
Keelie Arneson Named Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year
Soutlhand Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Northwestern State junior Keelie Arneson was named the Southland Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year, the conference announced Thursday in conjunction with the release of the all-academic volleyball teams.
Arneson, a Tomball, Texas (Klein Oak H.S.), native, is a two-time Southland all-academic selection and led Northwestern State to its best league record (15-3) and highest regular season finish (second) in school history. Arneson, who earned all-academic team honors in 2012, was tabbed the 2013 libero of the year. The hospitality, management and tourism major boast a 3.65 grade-point average. Arneson, a six-time defensive player of the week, earned all-conference honors this season and was name to the league’s all-tournament team after leading the Lady Demons to the championship match.
Northwestern State and Oral Roberts led all teams with three first-team all-academic selections. Sam Houston State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had two first-team all-academic selections while Houston Baptist and Lamar earned one apiece. Central Arkansas and Stephen F. Austin collected two second-team members while McNeese State and Southeastern Louisiana each had one.
Automatic selections include College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District selections and those who received first-team all-conference honors. This year, eight members on the first-team all-academic squad were automatic selections, leaving 10 open positions on the two teams to be determined by vote.
The Southland had two CoSIDA honorees. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Logen Bourque and Lamar’s Megan Schwartz were named to the District 7 second-team.
The remaining six positions automatic bids belonged to first-team all-conference members. Arneson and Stacey DiFrancesco represented Northwestern State. Oral Roberts senior Bruna Silva, Sam Houston State junior Deveney Wells-Gibson and senior Tayler Gray and A&M-Corpus Christi sophomore Ivy Baresh also represented the first team.
Nine members are returning all-academic selections and three sophomores made the teams. A&M-Corpus Christi’s Bourque led all players with her third appearance on the all-academic team.
Among the 18 student-athletes selected for academic recognition, 15 have GPAs of 3.6 or higher. Lamar’s Schwartz and Southeastern Louisiana’s Megan McMillin both posted a perfect 4.00 GPA.
The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the 14 member universities, voted for the student-athlete of the year. The Southland student-athlete of the year is presented to the one student-athlete who achieves excellence in both academics and athletics. All nominees shall have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrated athletics achievement for a least two years at the nominating institution.
The all-academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance administrators from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.
2013 Southland Conference Volleyball All-Academic Teams
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First Team |
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Name |
School |
Position |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
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Keelie Arneson^1,2 |
Northwestern State |
Libero |
Jr. |
3.65 |
Hospitality, Mgmt. & Tourism |
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Deveney Wells-Gibson1,2 |
Sam Houston State |
Outside Hitter |
Jr. |
3.74 |
General Business Admin. |
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Bruna Silva1,2 |
Oral Roberts |
Libero |
Sr. |
3.69 |
Computer Information Tech. |
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Logen Bourque%1,3 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Setter |
Sr. |
3.91 |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
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Stacey DiFrancesco1 |
Northwestern State |
Outside Hitter |
Jr. |
3.01 |
Family & Consumer Science |
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Ivy Baresh1 |
A&M-Corpus Christi |
Outside Hitter |
So. |
3.03 |
Kinesiology |
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Tayler Gray1,2 |
Sam Houston State |
Setter |
Sr. |
3.83 |
Health/Nursing |
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Megan Schwartz%2 |
Lamar |
Libero |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Social Work |
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Madeline Gaffney |
Houston Baptist |
Middle Blocker |
Sr. |
3.80 |
International Business |
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Mackenzie Neely2 |
Northwestern State |
Outside Hitter |
Jr. |
3.96 |
Health & Exercise Science |
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Jessica Pancratz |
Oral Roberts |
Middle Blocker |
Sr. |
3.61 |
Environmental Sustainability |
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Laura Taylor |
Oral Roberts |
Setter |
Sr. |
3.66 |
Mathematics |
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Second Team |
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Scout Brooks |
Central Arkansas |
Outside Hitter |
Jr. |
3.75 |
Nutrition |
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Paige Holland |
Stephen F. Austin |
Setter |
Jr. |
3.96 |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
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O.J. Olson |
Stephen F. Austin |
Libero |
So. |
3.73 |
Mathematics |
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Alicia Dittrich2 |
Central Arkansas |
Middle Blocker |
Jr. |
3.70 |
Physical Therapy |
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Malina Sanchez |
McNeese State |
Outside Hitter |
So. |
3.44 |
Nursing |
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Megan McMillin2 |
Southeastern La. |
Def. Specialist |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Com. Sciences & Disorders |
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^2013 Southland Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year
%CoSIDA Academic All-District
1First-Team All-Conference
2Two-time all-academic selection
3Three-time all-academic selection