Bittinger Adds Senior CLASS Award First Team All-America to Impressive List of Accolades
12/13/2017 3:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Kent State senior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger has been named a 2017 Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American for women's volleyball, the organization announced on Wednesday. Bittinger joins overall winner Haleigh Washington (Penn State), as well as Lily Johnson (Missouri State), Simone Lee (Penn State) and Jessica Lucas (WKU) on the five-member first team.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: classroom, community, character and competition.
One of only three Mid-American Conference student-athletes to be named as a finalist since the award expanded to include women's volleyball in 2010, Bittinger joins Rachel Iaquaniello (Eastern Michigan) as the conference's only first team honorees.
"What an incredible honor for Kelsey. She is the epitome of what a student-athlete should be, and we are proud to have had her represent our volleyball program and Kent State University over the past four years," Kent State head coach Don Gromala. "On the court Kelsey was a fierce competitor and a huge part of the past years' successes for us. Off the court her drive to do everything the best she can along with her innate intelligence will lead her to many more successes as well. We're excited to see what the future holds for her and wish her the best as she looks to continue her playing career."
In the classroom, Bittinger boasts an impressive 3.95 cumulative GPA as an applied physics major and member of the Honors College. She was a 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Third Team selection and is Kent State's only three-time CoSIDA Academic All-District® First Team selection.
The epitome of a student-athlete, Bittinger was a two-time member of the Golden Flashes' leadership core. Her drive to succeed in everything she does serves as an example for younger teammates, who describe her as a "role model," "intelligent human being" and "good decision-maker."
Bittinger has logged nearly 70 hours of community service during her time at Kent State, which includes several visits to local elementary schools and an assisted living center, food and school supply drives, Habitat for Humanity projects and the annual Jock Jams event, among other activities.
In November, the Strongsville, Ohio native became Kent State's first three-time All-MAC First Team honoree. Bittinger concluded her career with 1,472 kills and 1,332 digs to rank third and fourth, respectively, in Golden Flashes history. She posted a career-best 3.88 kills per set as a senior, which is ninth on Kent State's single-season record list.
For more information, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
ABOUT THE AWARD
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.
2017 First Team Senior CLASS Award All-Americans
Kelsey Bittinger, Kent State
Lily Johnson, Missouri State
Simone Lee, Penn State
Jessica Lucas, Western Kentucky
Haleigh Washington, Penn State
2017 Second Team Senior CLASS Award All-Americans
Ashley Dusek, Kentucky
Jaelyn Keene, Illinois State
Abbie Lehman, Wichita State
Mary-Kate Marshall, Oregon State
Katie Staiger, Baylor
