EMAIL THIS PAGE

Kucerkova Nabs Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year Honor
The sophomore is the second Eagle to earn the award this year

December 13, 2001

Sophomore Kucerkova became the second Eagle to earn Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

WASHINGTON -- Sophomore Karla Kucerkova (Olomovc, Czech Republic/Brno), who helped the American University volleyball team to the Patriot League championship title and it’s third-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this season, was tabbed the Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in a vote of the league’s Sports Information Directors.

In it’s inaugural season in the Patriot League (PL), Kucerkova becomes the first AU female to earn the distinction and joins Adam Rosen, who was named the league’s Men’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as the first Eagles to garner the honor.

Kucerkova was named the 2001 Patriot League Player of the Year and was tabbed the Most Valuable Player of the Patriot League Championship Tournament while helping the Eagles to an impressive 26-4 overall record and a perfect 14-0 mark in league competition. The sophomore outside hitter led the league in kills (4.63/game) and ranked fourth in hitting percentage (.319) while helping the team earn national rankings in attack percentage (sixth), service aces (first) and win-loss percentage (ninth).

A business administration and finance major with a 3.96 grade-point average (GPA), Kucerkova was a three-time PL Player of the Week honoree and was also named to the District 2 Verizon Academic All-America First Team this year.

The Eagles defeated Bucknell in the semifinals of the league championship and Army in the final to earn the league title and a berth in the 2001 NCAA Tournament. American faced Colorado in the first round of action and fell to the Buffaloes, 3-0, in Fort Collins, Colo., on Nov. 30.

In order to be considered for the league’s scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve of at least sophomore standing and hold a 3.2 or higher GPA.

American University became a full member of the Patriot League on July 1, 2001, after competing in the CAA since the 1985-86 academic year. The University, founded in 1893, fields a 19-sport Division I athletics program, featuring 10 women’s sports and nine for men.