Jan. 26, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Penn State women's volleyball player Megan Hodge (Durham, N.C.) has been nominated for the AAU Sullivan Award by The AAU National Volleyball Committee.
Known as the "Oscar" of sports awards, and older than The Heisman, the AAU Sullivan Award honors an outstanding amateur athlete in the U.S. The AAU has presented the award annually since 1930 as a salute to James E. Sullivan, the founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union. The Sullivan Award honors an individual not only for their athletic accomplishment, but is based upon the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship and the ideals of amateurism. Past winners include Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps among many others.
This is just the latest accolade for Hodge, who was recently honored as the Honda Award Winner for volleyball. The outside hitter led the Nittany Lions to an unprecedented third straight NCAA National Title in 2009, while on a record-breaking 102-match winning streak. Hodge averaged 4.67 kills per set during her senior season to lead the Big Ten and rank eighth in the nation. She became just the second Penn State volleyball player to amass 2,000 kills during her career and finished with 2,142. Hodge and teammate Alisha Glass own a career win/loss record of 142-5. It is the best four-year winning percentage of any graduating class at Penn State and also the fewest losses. During Hodge's career, the Nittany Lions have made three straight NCAA National Semifinal appearances and advanced to the championship match each time.
Hodge, a four-time AVCA First Team All-American, was selected as the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2009 for the second time in her career after being chosen as a freshman in 2006. She was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Year prior to the NCAA Championship and was the 2009 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year, as well.
Finalists for the AAU Sullivan Award will be honored in a ceremony at the New York Athletic Club in New York City on April 13-14. For more information on the 80th Annual Sullivan Awards, please visit www.AAUSullivan.org.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit www.GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2009 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.