Nov. 20, 2008

Bethesda, Md.--Army's Briana Stremick was named the 2008 Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced Thursday at the Patriot League volleyball awards banquet.

Stremick, a senior mechanical engineering major, has maintained a team-best 3.94 grade point average during her four years at the United States Military Academy. She is a candidate for a Rhodes Scholarship and will interview for the prestigious award this weekend. She will play in Friday's Patriot League semifinals, then fly to Iowa for her interview on Saturday. Should Army win its semifinal match, she will fly back to Washington, D.C. for Saturday evening's championship match.

Stremick has also earned a reputation as a fierce competitor on the court. This year alone, she has learned a new position, helped her team to its most wins in 15 years, and finished in the top five in the Patriot League in six individual categories. She has earned All-Patriot League honors twice in her career.

Stremick and her Army teammates will begin the pursuit of a Patriot League title Friday at 8 p.m. The second-seeded Black Knights will battle third-seeded Colgate. The winner will advance to the championship to face either American or Bucknell. The top-seeded Eagles and fourth-seeded Bison will meet at 6 p.m. Friday at Bender Arena in Washington, D.C.