Kelsey Bowers Named Second-Team Academic All-America
Monday, November 24, 2008 | Volleyball
Senior Florida middle blocker Kelsey Bowers (Gainesville, Fla.) has been named a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Second-Team Academic All-America selection for her successes on the court and in the classroom, it was announced Monday.
Bowers becomes the seventh player in school history to be named an Academic All-America selection, as six previous players in school history have combined for nine awards. Bowers becomes the second Gator in two years to earn the honor, as Amber McCray was named a second-team Academic All-American last season.
“This honor is a testament to the student-athlete that Kelsey Bowers is,” Florida head coach Mary Wise said. “She excels for us both on and off the court and I am proud of the way she has represented the University of Florida and our volleyball program both in the classroom and on the court.”
Earlier this season, Bowers earned the third Academic All-District recognition of her career and the second First-Team Academic All-District honor. She currently holds a 3.92 grade point average in public relations with a minor in Italian.
Bowers, who has played in 116 career matches, is one of only seven players in school history to have eclipsed the 400-block plateau for her career and just the 17th to have recorded 300 or more career blocks. She currently ranks seventh on the school's all-time career total blocks list with 413. On the season, Bowers ranks first on the team in blocks per set with 0.96, including ranking fifth in the Southeastern Conference in league matches only with a 1.02 blocks per set average. Bowers has either led or tied for the team lead in blocks per set on 12 occasions this season.
Bowers is a two-time All-SEC second-team selection and a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. She was the Volleyball Magazine Scholar Athlete of the Month for December 2007. Bowers was named to the 2008 Preseason All-SEC Team.
Bowers and the Gators return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Columbia, S.C., to face South Carolina. Florida will be looking to clinch at least a share of its 18th consecutive SEC Championship with a win against the Gamecocks. Opening serve in the Volleyball Competition Facility is slated for 7 p.m. EST and the match will be carried live on WRUF-AM 850 with Tom Collett.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com.
2008 CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Volleyball Teams
First Team
Amanda Gates – Nebraska – Sr. – Columbus, Neb. (3.96 – Communication Studies)
Cynthia Barboza – Stanford – Sr. – Long Beach, Calif. (3.33 – Political Science)
Christa Harmotto – Penn State – Sr. – Aliquippa, Pa. (3.47 - Elementary Education)
Briana Stremick – U.S. Military Academy – Sr. – Langdon, N.D. (3.94 - Mechanical Engineering)
Mallory Clements – SIU-Edwardsville – Sr. – Mount Pulaksi, Ill. (3.94 – Business Administration)
Kori Cooper – Nebraska – Jr. – Amarillo, Texas (3.82 – Speech-Language Pathology)
Second Team
Jenny Heppert – Central Florida – Sr. – Lawrence, Kan. (4.0 – Biology)
Megan Hodge – Penn State – Jr. – Durham, N.C. (3.39 – Management)
Kelsey Bowers – Florida – Sr. – Gainesville, Fla. (3.92 – Public Relations)
Rachael Moss – Duke – Jr. – Cypress, Calif. (3.93 – Political Science)
Jordan Larson – Nebraska – Sr. – Hooper, Neb. (3.31 – Communication Studies)
Lauren Felsing – UW-Milwaukee – Jr. – Hartland, Wisc. (3.98 – Marketing)
Third Team
Molly Davis – Southeast Missouri State – Jr. – Muncie, Ind. (4.0 – Sport Management)
Jillian Wolosiansky – Eastern Michigan – Sr. – Uniontown, Ohio (4.0 – Public Administration)
Rachel Breinling – U.S. Military Academy – Sr. – Fremont, Mich. (3.52 – Geography)
Jill Collymore – Washington – Jr. – Bellevue, Wash. (3.78 – Psychology)
Samantha Schulte – SIU-Edwardsville – Sr. – Kenosha, Wisc. (4.0 – Speech)
Rochelle Meulemans – Wisconsin-Green Bay – Sr. – Kaukauna, Wisc. (3.98 – Biology)
END OF REPORT
