Thursday, June 10, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – Three GNAC volleyball student-athletes are capping the challenging pandemic season by being honored for their successes on the court and in the classroom.

Alaska seniors Lahra Weber and Cate Whiting and Northwest Nazarene junior Brooke Foster are among the eight student-athletes named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 8 Volleyball Team, announced on Thursday.

The selection is the first for all three players to the District 8 Team, which is comprised of student-athletes from the GNAC, California Collegiate Athletic Association and PacWest Conference. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, student-athletes were nominated based on career statistics rather than statistics from just this season.

Weber and Whiting led the Nanooks to a 5-6 record during the pandemic-adjusted 2021 season. In her four seasons, Weber, an outside hitter who has a 3.95 GPA as a chemistry major, has averaged 2.86 kills, 2.35 digs and 0.33 aces per set and has started 84 of the 95 matches she has competed in for UAF. In 2021, Weber averaged 2.5 kills and 2.5 digs per set while starting 10 of the Nanooks’ 11 matches.

Whiting, a setter who has a 3.90 GPA as a civil engineering major, is averaging 8.08 assists and 2.35 digs per set and has a .245 hitting percentage over her four-year career. A regular starter for the Nanooks in each of the last two seasons, Whiting averaged 7.49 assists and 2.27 digs per set while playing in all 11 matches.

Foster, an outside hitter with a 3.95 GPA as a graphic design major, is averaging 2.67 kills and 2.24 digs per set with a .193 hitting percentage in her three seasons with Northwest Nazarene. She averaged 2.69 kills and 2.90 digs per set in 2021 and started all 15 matches while leading the Nighthawks to a 6-9 record.

Joining the three GNAC selections on the Academic All-District 8 Team are Bria Beale of Hawaii Hilo, Alexia Cardoza and Jalyn Hayes of Cal State San Bernardino, Sami Hover of Biola and Kira Zimmerman of Cal Poly Pomona.

With their selections, Foster, Weber and Whiting are eligible for selection to the Division II Academic All-America Team, which will be announced on Tuesday, July 13.

Nominees for the CoSIDA Academic All-America program must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, must be in their second year at the nominating institution, must be a starter or important reserve for their team and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or greater.