Nov. 18, 2009

Center Valley, Pa. - Bucknell senior Lindsay Smith was honored for her accomplishments on the court and in the classroom as the recipient of the Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, it was announced on Wednesday.

Smith, a team captain for the Bison, was the only Patriot League Volleyball student-athlete to earn ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District honors, as she was selected to the second team. The neuroscience major and religion and children's studies minor carries a 3.81 cumulative grade-point average, and just posted a 4.0 GPA in the spring 2009 semester. She has been selected to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in each of the three previous seasons, and is also a multi-term selection to Bucknell Dean's List.

Smith's list of extracurricular accomplishments include being a member of the Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, conducting behavioral and molecular neuroscience research during the spring and fall 2008 semesters, working in nutrition education at Navajo Evangelical Lutheran Mission School, and participating in a medical shadowing program in clinical and surgical practices. She has served as a teaching assistant in the Bucknell Biology Department for the past three years and as a tutor to high school and elementary school students, completed an orthopedic surgery externship, and works as a Head Start volunteer. Smith, a Boulder, Colorado native, plans to attend medical school and practice in a pediatric field.

On the court, Smith played 47 sets this season, tallying 0.34 kills and 0.38 blocks per set and notching a career-high with 17 block assists.

Smith is Bucknell's fifth recipient of the Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, and the first since Shannon Walker won the honor in 2000.

To be eligible for the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, 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 are not eligible for this honor. The award is voted on by the Patriot League's volleyball sports information directors.

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 over the summer. One male and one female are selected for this honor.