CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Navy senior outside hitter Patricia Mattingly earned the 2018 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolade, when it was announced by the League office on Thursday. This is the senior’s third-straight year receiving the award. She is also one of the seven members on the sport’s Academic All-Patriot League team.
An applied mathematics major, Mattingly owns a 3.85 cumulative grade-point average. The New Albany, Ind. native was named to the CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American squad in 2017-18. She has been named the USNA’s Superintendent’s List in each of her six semesters, and has posted a 4.00 GPA in two of those six semesters.
Mattingly - a three-time Patriot League Setter of the Year - currently holds the Navy record and ranks 10th in Patriot League history with 3,733 assists. She also is in fourth at Navy during the rally scoring era and fifth overall with 1,074 digs, while holding the Academy’s career assist-dig double-double record with 51, including 15 times this season.
Five of the nine Patriot League programs were represented with at least one student-athlete on the academic all-League squad, with American placing two of student-athletes on the team. Five of the seven student-athletes selected for the academic all-League squad were also named to the All-Patriot League teams on Tuesday.
American senior outside hitter Aleksandra Kazala – the 2018 Patriot League Player of the Year – was named to the academic all-League team for the third time, holding a 3.55 GPA, while majoring in business administration and finance. Eagles sophomore outside hitter Helena Elbaek (Biology; 3.74), Colgate junior outside hitter Alex Stein (Psychology; 3.42), Lafayette junior setter Julia Howard (Psychology; 3.90), Lehigh junior middle blocker Lauren Bright (Computer Science; 3.72), and Loyola Maryland junior outside hitter Ann Ernst (Mechanical Engineering/Materials Engineering; 3.77) also made the team.
The voting for the all-Academic squads was conducted by the League’s volleyball sports information directors, who could not vote for their own student-athletes.
To be eligible for the Scholar-Athlete of the Year award and the Academic All-Patriot League Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average and be a starter or key player in his/her sport. Freshmen or student-athletes in their first academic year at their school are not eligible for the honor.
The Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year for each individual sport comprises the pool of nominees for the Patriot League Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards given out during the summer.
2018 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete: Patricia Mattingly, Navy, Sr., S
Academic All-League
Aleksandra Kazala, American, Sr., OH
Helena Elbaek, American, So., OH
Alex Stein, Colgate, Jr., OH
Julia Howard, Lafayette, Jr., S
Lauren Bright, Lehigh, Jr., MB
Ann Ernst, Loyola Maryland, JR., OH
Patricia Mattingly, Navy, Sr., S
(Note: Listed in alphabetical order by school)
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.