Kenzie Foley Earns Honda NCAA Division II Athlete of the Year Nomination in Volleyball
12/14/2023 2:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Foley is among 11 finalists for prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year Award
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Senior outside hitter Kenzie Foley (Sergeant Bluffs, Iowa) has been named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for volleyball as announced today by Executive Director Chris Voelz of The Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
Foley is designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of The CWSA program, now in its 48th year.
Foley is looking to join Maggie McNamara (Concordia-St. Paul Volleyball, 2010), Taylor Reiss (Southwest Minnesota State Volleyball, 2019) and Brooke Olson (Minnesota Duluth Basketball, 2023) and become the fourth athlete from the NSIC to be named Division II Woman Athlete of the Year.
"I am extremely honored to be one of the eleven finalists for the Honda DII Athlete of the Year Award for it is the most prestigious honor in all of women's athletics," said Foley. "This award is a testament to the work put in by not only myself, but also my teammates and coaches both past and present. Without certain people or experiences in my life, none of this would be possible and I can't express how thankful I am."
Foley was most recently named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII National Player of the Year and earned D2CCA Ron Lenz National Player of the Year honors. It is the first time in program history that a St. Cloud State volleyball student-athlete has been named the national player of the year. She was also named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Year and is a three-time NSIC First Team honoree.
A three-time AVCA All-American overall, she earned First Team honors for the second time in her career this season after leading the NCAA and NSIC in kills per set (5.00) and ranked second nationally in points per set (5.51) and fourth nationally in total kills (545).
This season, she surpassed 1,000 career kills becoming the fastest player in program history to eclipse the mark and just the 13th player in school history to do so. She also garnered over 1,000 career digs becoming just the fifth player in program history to reach both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
For her career, she ranks first in program history in kill percentage (.444) and individual 20+ kill games (24) and second in the school record books in season kills (545), career double-doubles (59) and career individual double-digit kill matches (84).
"Kenzie is a remarkable athlete that loves the game of volleyball," stated head coach Chad Braegelmann. "Her intensity and desire to win and compete are evident every time she steps on the floor. She has been a fantastic ambassador for our sport in Central Minnesota and is a great role model for girls that look up to her and strive to play high level volleyball down the road. We are very proud of what she has accomplished both individually and as a team and we are honored that she is a finalist for this prestigious award!"
All Honda Sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
The Honda Award finalists are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Foley is designated one of 11 finalists for the prestigious DII Honda Athlete of the Year. This will be voted on at the end of the academic year by national balloting among 1,000 NCAA member schools as part of The CWSA program, now in its 48th year.
Foley is looking to join Maggie McNamara (Concordia-St. Paul Volleyball, 2010), Taylor Reiss (Southwest Minnesota State Volleyball, 2019) and Brooke Olson (Minnesota Duluth Basketball, 2023) and become the fourth athlete from the NSIC to be named Division II Woman Athlete of the Year.
"I am extremely honored to be one of the eleven finalists for the Honda DII Athlete of the Year Award for it is the most prestigious honor in all of women's athletics," said Foley. "This award is a testament to the work put in by not only myself, but also my teammates and coaches both past and present. Without certain people or experiences in my life, none of this would be possible and I can't express how thankful I am."
Foley was most recently named the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) DII National Player of the Year and earned D2CCA Ron Lenz National Player of the Year honors. It is the first time in program history that a St. Cloud State volleyball student-athlete has been named the national player of the year. She was also named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Player of the Year and is a three-time NSIC First Team honoree.
A three-time AVCA All-American overall, she earned First Team honors for the second time in her career this season after leading the NCAA and NSIC in kills per set (5.00) and ranked second nationally in points per set (5.51) and fourth nationally in total kills (545).
This season, she surpassed 1,000 career kills becoming the fastest player in program history to eclipse the mark and just the 13th player in school history to do so. She also garnered over 1,000 career digs becoming just the fifth player in program history to reach both 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
For her career, she ranks first in program history in kill percentage (.444) and individual 20+ kill games (24) and second in the school record books in season kills (545), career double-doubles (59) and career individual double-digit kill matches (84).
"Kenzie is a remarkable athlete that loves the game of volleyball," stated head coach Chad Braegelmann. "Her intensity and desire to win and compete are evident every time she steps on the floor. She has been a fantastic ambassador for our sport in Central Minnesota and is a great role model for girls that look up to her and strive to play high level volleyball down the road. We are very proud of what she has accomplished both individually and as a team and we are honored that she is a finalist for this prestigious award!"
All Honda Sports nominees from DII and DIII become a finalist for the prestigious 2024 Honda Athlete of the Year in their respective divisions, presented in a live telecast on CBS Sports Network on Monday, June 24, 2024, at 7 PM ET, from its new home in New York City.
The Honda Award finalists are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
The CWSA, entering its 48th year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Volleyball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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