A Pair of E8 Women's Volleyball Student-Athletes Named Academic All-District Selections
OFFICIAL RELEASE
Elmira's Katzenberger, Stevens' Stewart Honored for Academic Success
Two Empire 8 Conference women's volleyball student-athletes were recently honored for their academic success by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Elmira's
Rachel Katzenberger,
pictured, and
Shelby Stewart from Stevens were recognized with the honor.
CLOSER LOOK
With a 3.97 grade-point average, Katzenberger was one of eight student-athletes included on the All-District Team for District III, which covers all Division III colleges and universities in the state of New York. Her GPA was the third-highest of those that were recognized. A senior, she becomes the first Elmira volleyball player to earn Academic All-District honors since Taryn Rumsey '14 in 2012
Katzenberger is a human services major with minors in anthropology and sociology while playing both volleyball and softball. The New Jersey, native has been inducted into the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Beta Kappa honor societies, named to the Dean's List and the Empire 8 President's List in honor of her outstanding academic achievements, and has represented the Elmira softball team on the Student-Athlete Advisory Board (SAAB) over the last three years.
It's the first career All-District accolade for Stewart and the second straight season with Academic All-District recognition for women's volleyball. Stewart becomes the seventh player in program history to earn the prestigious academic honor. She maintained a 3.92 grade-point average, while majoring in mechanical engineering.
On the court, the junior middle-hitter led the Empire 8 Conference with 0.84 blocks per set and ranked fourth with a .258 hitting percentage. Her 103 blocks ranked 48th in the country prior to the NCAA Tournament and Stewart's 372 career blocks ranks third all-time in program history. She finished second on the team with a career-high 279 kills, while serving 35 aces, dishing out a career-high 13 assists and totaling 61 digs, while appearing in all 122 sets. Stewart received First Team All-Empire 8 honors for the second straight season and was also named Honorable Mention All-New York District by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
The 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-District® Football Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The Google Cloud Academic All-America® program separately recognizes football honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
For more information about CoSIDA’s Google Cloud Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit the Academic All-America® home page on CoSIDA.com.
- Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staffs at Elmira and Stevens -
About the Empire 8 Conference
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and aspire to be regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership seeks to distinguish itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8.