SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Four Southern Conference volleyball student-athletes earned spots on the Google Cloud Academic All-District Volleyball Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).The program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must contribute on the court, carry a 3.3 grade-point-average and be in at least the third semester of academics at their respective institution.
Mercer junior outside hitter Roberta Todd, Chattanooga junior libero Megan Kaufman, Western Carolina junior outside hitter Abigal Veit and Wofford senior outside hitter Catie Cronister were recognized. Kaufman and Veit made the District 3 squad (NC, TN, VA), while Todd and Cronister were on the District 4 team (AL, FL, GA, PR, SC).
Todd, a junior majoring in biology, has played in 79 sets and has averaged 3.07 points per set. She has started in 19 of the 23 matches she has played in and has recorded 12 service aces so far. She has volunteered for multiple veterinary clinics/ animal sanctuaries, such as the Equestrian Association for the Disabled. There, she was honored to work with children with disabilities by using the horses as a form of therapy.
Kaufman was named to the squad for the second-straight year after continuing her excellence as a student-athlete. She currently holds a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA as a Nursing major. She was named to the Southern Conference All-Academic Team and Honor Roll in addition to Dean's List and Athletic Director's Honor Roll at UTC each of her first two years on campus, and continues the trend into 2019. Kaufman becomes the third volleyball Moc to earn the award in consecutive seasons and the first to accomplish the feat since Christina Teter in 2011 and 2012. Kaufman becomes the first Moc to earn the opportunity for three-straight selections ahead of next year's 2020 season. Not only does Kaufman get things done on a stellar level in the classroom, her play on the court is just as impressive. In just under three full seasons, Kaufman has totaled 1,336 career digs, just six shy of moving into third all-time at UTC post-rally scoring era (2008), and continues her climb towards the top of the rankings. She is just one of two honorees on the District 3 team and one of 22 total NCAA DI first team selections to carry a 4.0 GPA.
Veit is the first WCU volleyball student-athlete to earn consecutive Academic All-District honors after making her first appearance on the team in 2018. She is one of four Southern Conference players to earn either All-District 3 or All-District 4 honors and is now eligible for Academic All-America honors looking to become the fifth Catamount to claim the prestigious honor and first since former volleyball standout Ramsey Herron (1998 & 1999).
Earlier this season, Veit became the 11th player in program history to reach the 1,000 career digs and 1,000 career kills milestone. She recorded a career-high 25 kills at Mercer and is second on the team with 14 double-doubles. Veit leads the Catamounts and ranks sixth in the SoCon with 365 kills. A senior from Cary, N.C., Veit boasts a 3.97 cumulative grade point average while double majoring in management and innovational leadership and entrepreneurship. She was named to the 2017 SoCon Fall Academic All-Conference team and was also a 2016-17 SoCon Honor Roll and Commissioner’s Medal recipient following her freshman year.
Cronister is a senior outside hitter from Chicago, Illinois. Cronister, who was CoSIDA Academic All-District in 2017, is the program's all-time leader in kills, with 1705, and is one of six Terriers to be a member of the 1,000-1,000 clubs, picking up 1,223 digs in her career. This year, Cronister recorded the program's first ever triple-double at Duke, recording a second one the next day against UNC Wilmington while playing various positions throughout the lineup. Cronister has a total of 360 kills and 41 aces in 2019, ranking eighth and fourth, respectively, in the Southern Conference. Defensively, Cronister has a total of 219 blocks in four seasons, with a career-high 61 so far in 2019. Cronister has earned various academic awards throughout her college career, including: SoCon Academic Honor Roll in each of the last three years, the Southern Conference Commissioner's Medal (16-17, 18-19) as well as the SoCon Fall Academic All-Conference Team.
First team Academic All-District® recipients advance to the Google Cloud Academic All-America® ballot. First, second and third team (if applicable) honorees will be announced in early December.
To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must contribute on the court, carry a 3.3 grade-point-average and be in at least the third semester of academics at their respective institution.
For CoSIDA's full release, click here.