Oct. 11, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Penn State women's volleyball middle hitter Arielle Wilson (Broadview, Ill.) has been selected as a finalist for the inaugural Lowe's Senior CLASS Award for women's volleyball. Wilson is one of three Big Ten women's volleyball players among the 10 finalists for the award that recognizes athletes with notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
Nationwide balloting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans can vote EVERY DAY for Wilson here. Fan voting continues until Nov. 23 and counts 1/3 towards the final total. These votes will be combined with ballots from coaches and media to determine the recipient of the award.
So far in 2010, Wilson has started all 17 matches and appeared in all 57 sets. She is third on the team with 154 kills with a team-best hitting percentage of .409. She currently leads the team in blocks with 73, averaging 1.28 blocks per set.
A 2010 Unanimous Preseason All-Big Ten Selection and 2009 AVCA First Team All-American, Wilson started all 38 matches in 2009 and helped guide the Nittany Lions to an unprecedented third straight NCAA National Championship. She led the nation with a record-breaking .540 hitting percentage and her career hitting percentage of .489 ranks first on the Penn State career charts. Wilson was third on the team with 337 kills, averaging 2.76 kills per set, and had double-digit kills in 15 matches. The 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Wilson led the team and the Big Ten with 186 total blocks. Her 1.52 blocks per set ranked second in the league and fourth in the nation.
A seven-time Big Ten Player of the Week, Wilson was named to both the 2009 NCAA Regional Championship All-Tournament Team, as well as the 2009 NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team. She is a two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and also earned Academic All-Big Ten laurels.
Wilson not only excels on the court, but also in the classroom and community. An Academic All-Big Ten selection, Wilson is majoring in nursing and hopes to pursue a career as an emergency room nurse. She regularly volunteers at her former high school, running a volleyball camp and working with her former team. Each year she joins her teammates volunteering at the Penn State Dance MaraTHON, which benefits the Four Diamonds Fund at Hershey Medical Center, as well as the Special Olympics held at Penn State.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Lowe's, an official corporate partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner during the 2010 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in Kansas City in mid-December.
For more information on the Penn State women's volleyball team, please visit GoPSUsports.com. The Penn State women's volleyball 2010 season is presented by Rockvale Outlets and The Outlets at Hershey.