Nov. 28, 2007
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - In the same week she was named the Big Ten Player of the Year, junior women's volleyball middle hitter Christa Harmotto (Aliquippa, Pa.) was named an ESPN The Magazine Third Team Academic All-American, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced.
It is Harmotto's first Academic All-America honor and the 12th overall for Penn State. The last Nittany Lions to claim the accolade were Bonnie Bremner and Lauren Cacciamani in 1999.
Harmotto currently holds a 3.34 grade point average in Elementary Education while leading the team and Big Ten and ranking second in the country in hitting percentage (.483) while averaging 3.12 kills per game. A three-time Big Ten Player of the Week and a First Team All-Big Ten selection, she sits second on the Lion squad and in the conference with 1.63 blocks per game, setting a season-high with 12 blocks at Illinois on Oct. 19. Harmotto has 18 double-digit kill matches and 22 contests of hitting .400 or better, along with producing five or more blocks 19 times, leading the team on 15 occasions.
Harmotto is one of two Big Ten student-athletes honored by CoSIDA and ESPN the Magazine. Ohio State's Danielle Meyer earned First Team Academic All-America honors to go along with her First Team All-Big Ten accolades.
To be nominated for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), and must be a sophomore in both athletic and academic standing. All First Team Academic All-District honorees from each of the eight districts advance to the national ballot and are eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors.
Big Ten champion Penn State (28-2, 20-0) earned the No. 3 overall seed in the 2007 NCAA Tournament and will host MAAC champion Siena (24-7) on Friday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Rec Hall. America East champion Albany (23-9) and Horizon champion Cleveland State (23-8) square off at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. The winners of each of the matches will meet in the NCAA Second Round contest at 7:00 p.m. at Rec Hall on Saturday, Dec. 1. Penn State will also host the NCAA Regional Championship on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8 at Rec Hall.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com.
A complete listing of ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honorees in the University Division follows:
First Team - University Division
Sarah Pavan, Nebraska, 4.00, Biochemistry
Christina Houghtelling, Nebraska, 3.91, Elementary Education
Danielle Meyer, Ohio State, 3.98, Textiles & Clothing
Tracy Stalls, Nebraska, 3.95, Individualized Program of Studies
Abbey Breit, Jacksonville State, 3.89, Chemistry
Rachel Shanks, Auburn, 4.00, Pharmacy
Second Team - University Division
Sarah Kirkwood, Virginia, 3.88, Biology
Rachel Dougherty, U.S. Naval Academy, 3.89, Physics
Amber McCray, Florida, 3.79 (4.00 Grad), Sport Management (Master's Program)
Ali Hausfeld, Duke, 3.40, Biology
Cynthia Barboza, Stanford, 3.35, Science, Technology & Society
Dianna Thomas, Appalachian State, 4.00, Exercise Science
Third Team - University Division
Tara Geegan, Wright State, 4.00, Early Childhood Education
Alicia Ostmeyer, Texas Tech, 4.00, Speech Language Hearing
Michelle Moriarty, Texas, 3.70, Sport Management
Christa Harmotto, Penn State, 3.34, Elementary Education
Tara West, Washington State, 4.00, Biological Sciences
Jordan Bostic, New Mexico State, 4.00, JOUR
Academic All-American of the Year - Sarah Pavan, Nebraska