Nov. 5, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State women's volleyball sophomore Haleigh Washington (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has been selected to the Academic All-District team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) this afternoon. Washington is one of six student-athletes to garner the distinction in the District 2 category.
Washington will now be considered for national honors as an Academic All-American, which is set to be announced near the end of the month. Since 1996, Washington is the 11th different Nittany Lion in program history to earn the distinction and Penn State's 18th overall selection to an Academic All-District team.
Honored as the 2014 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Washington's been one of the Nittany Lions' top contributors in 2015. Presently, Washington's team-high .456 hitting efficiency ranks second nationally, while also leading the conference. Defensively, her squad-best 1.46 blocks per set ranks 16th nationally and second in the Big Ten standings.
Having already earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors four times this season, Washington's led the Nittany Lion blocking unit 13 times this year, recording at least three blocks in all but two matches. During the non-conference portion of the season, she posted a career-high 11 total blocks against St. John's, marking the second highest single-match total in a 3-set match in Penn State program history.
Off the court, the philosophy major is involved in Penn State women's volleyball's volunteering efforts with the Special Olympics. Washington also spends summers coaching and mentoring young campers who attend Penn State volleyball camps in Happy Valley. She can also be found at nearly any free moment with a book in hand. Whether it's poetry, philosophy or history, there is no genre that's out of the question for Washington.
Academic All-District volleyball teams are selected annually by the College Sports Information Directors of America and recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada, All nominees must be either a starter or an important reserve and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale).
Washington and the rest of the top-ranked Penn State women's volleyball team (21-2, 10-2) are on the road this week, with matches set at Maryland and Rutgers. The Nittany Lions take on the Terps Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m., before squaring off against the Scarlet Knights Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
To view the complete list of CoSIDA Academic All-District honorees, please click here.