The Colonels are just as adept hitting the books as hammering kills, as shown by four EKU volleyball standouts earning Academic All-District honors this week.
Sophomores Carson Ledford and AG Vandagriff joined senior veterans Sarah Mitchell and Josie Schmitendorf among the select group recognized for excellence both on the court and in the classroom. The quartet now advance as ballot nominees for the even more prestigious Academic All-America laurels.
Ledford, the ASUN leader in hitting percentage, boasts a flawless 4.00 GPA while majoring in management. Vandagriff also terrorizes opponents at the net, ranking top-10 in the conference with a .314 clip while maintaining a 3.61 GPA in psychology.
The senior duo of Mitchell and Schmitendorf left an indelible mark while catalyzing the Colonels to back-to-back 20-win campaigns. Berea native Mitchell etched her name throughout the EKU record books as an all-conference outside hitter, yet still found time to compile a 3.69 GPA in environmental health sciences. Libero extraordinaire Schmitendorf was every bit as indispensable, ranking second in the league with 4.80 digs per set while carrying a sterling 3.91 GPA as a child and family studies major.
The Academic All-America teams will be unveiled January 9th, with the Colonel brainiacs and ballers hopeful of adding another impressive honor to the cabinet.