Samantha Gates Selected as Third-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American
Justin Lutes
CoSIDA Academic All-American Teams
TOWSON, Md. (December 10, 2013) – Senior
Samantha Gates (Wilmington, N.C.) of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's volleyball team was named Capital One Academic All-America Third-Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) today.
Gates holds a 3.78 grade-point average as a Business & Technology major and is just the second Stevens women's volleyball student-athlete to be voted as a CoSIDA Academic All-American in school history. The setter was just one of 18 Division III players that made up the three All-America teams.
Melissa Rhodes was tabbed a second-team performer in 2008 to account for the only other Duck to earn this honor.
Gates, a tri-captain on this year's 27-7 team that reached the Empire 8 Conference Championship Final, set the program's all-time assists record with 3,534. Gates surpassed the previous mark of 3,198 assists and dished out 1,168 this season to lead the Empire 8. The Wilmington, N.C. native was selected as the conference's Player of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or
key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.