Harry Wins Academic Award

November 9, 2007

RICHARDSON, Texas – Southwestern Oklahoma State University volleyball player Paula Harry was recognized as the Lone Star Conference Academic Player-of-the-Year for volleyball by her accomplishments both on the court and in the classroom.

Harry, a senior from Australia, was the top vote getter among players submitted for nomination by the league’s sports information directors. She is expected to graduate in May with a 4.00 grade point average in health sciences. On the court, Harry was one of the main reasons in the continuing improvement of the SWOSU program. She averaged 2.33 kills per game and was among the team leaders in attack percentage and digs.

The LSC Honor was the second academic honor for Harry who earlier this month was named first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District, a squad that combines both NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA teams from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico. She is among a handful of athletes who are now up for national consideration for the CoSIDA Academic All-American team. Last season, she was named as third-team Academic All-American.

Kasandra Gurtner also pulled in some academic acclaim being voted to the LSC’s All-Academic Team and the CoSIDA Academic All-District first team. Gurtner, a native of Cimarron, Kans., is maintaining a 3.81 GPA in biological sciences. She earlier was named to the second-team, all-conference squad.

SWOSU was one of four LSC schools to have two or more players selected to the 14-player squad.

To be eligible for LSC academic honors, student-athletes need at least a 3.20 grade point average and must have completed 24 hours at their nominating institution. Those who qualify for nomination, but do not get enough votes for the academic team, are then named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

SWOSU had six other players recognized to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. They were Tennessee Brown, Amanda Ortega, Kristen Kaufman, Maddie Cummins, and Janna Green.