Springfield, Ohio — Sophomore right-side hitter Kara Seidenstricker (London, Ohio/Jonathan Alder) has been recognized for the combination of her athletic and academic accomplishments with first-team Capital One Academic All-America Division III All-District 7 honors.
The district awards of the Academic All-America program are awarded following nominations and online voting by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Only student-athletes who make the first team in district voting, as Seidenstricker did, can be considered for Academic All-America awards, which will be announced later this month.
After she was slowed by an injury early in the season, Seidenstricker has picked up where she left off in 2012, when she earned an unprecedented series of awards. Seidenstricker was named North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Newcomer of the Year, NCAC Player of the Year, Great Lakes Region Player of the Year, Great Lakes Region Freshman of the Year, and first-team NCAA Division III All-America. To top things off, Seidenstricker became the first player in league history to be selected NCAA Division III Freshman of the Year.
Seidenstricker leads Wittenberg with 285 kills in 2013, and she leads both the team and the conference in service aces with 57 (0.62 per set). She also stands third on the team in digs with 265 and blocks with 36.
Seidenstricker’s excellence on the court has been matched by her work in the classroom. She maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average in her first year at Wittenberg while working toward a major in education.
The Tigers head into this weekend’s NCAC Tournament with records of 20-8 overall and 8-0 in the league, good for first place in the final standings for the eighth straight year and the 19th time since Wittenberg became a member in 1989. Wittenberg has seven losses to teams ranked in the top 15 nationally, in addition to a defeat at NCAA Division II scholarship program Cedarville.
Written By: Ryan Maurer