Pavan Named Academic All-American of the Year

Lincoln ? One day after being named the Big 12’s Player of the Year for the second straight year, Nebraska volleyball player Sarah Pavan received an more prestigious honor on Tuesday morning, as she was named the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American of the Year.

The honor combines both athletic and academic success and is voted on by the Academic All-American committee. Pavan, who is a two-time first-team Academic All-American, carries a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in biochemisty and is a two-time first-team academic All-Big 12 performer. She is Nebraska’s 234th Academic All-American and the Huskers’ 29th Academic All-American in volleyball, totals that lead the nation.

"I was pretty excited about it," Pavan said Tuesday upon hearing the news. "I wasn’t expecting that to happen at all. It is something I have wanted because I have worked so hard in school and so many people have helped me out. I’m just ecstatic about it and my family is too."

"It is a tremendous honor for Sarah and continues the great tradition of athletic and academic excellence at Nebraska," Nebraska Coach John Cook said.  "Keith Zimmer (volleyball academic advisor) and Sarah deserve a lot of praise for representing our university at such a high level." 

University of Nebraska chancellor Harvey Perlman lauded Pavan’s ability to be equally successful in the classroom as well as on the court.

"Sarah's outstanding achievements in both academics and athletics demonstrate her ability to play at the highest levels in both the classroom and on the court. The University of Nebraska is exceedingly proud that one of its student athletes has been named to this high national honor."

Pavan is one of the top players in the country, earning first-team All-America honors after her first two seasons at Nebraska. A two-time Big 12 Player of the Year, Pavan leads the Big 12 in kills per game (5.22) and points per game (6.17), while ranking sixth in service aces (0.34/gm) after leading No. 1 Nebraska to a 27-1 record and a third straight Big 12 title in 2006. A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, Pavan already ranks fifth on Nebraska’s all-time kills list with 1,404 and is on pace to break Nebraska’s single-season record for kills per game.

Pavan is also active in the Huskers’ Life Skills program, serving as a speaker on the Tour of Excellence and during American Education Week during her Husker career.

She is the fourth Husker volleyball player to be chosen as the Academic All-American of the Year, joining current U.S. National Team member Nancy Metcalf (2001), Janet Kruse (1990-91) and Virginia Stahr (1988-89).

Nebraska Director of Life Skills Keith Zimmer says that Pavan’s accomplishment shows the strong work ethic she has to be successful in both demanding areas.

“Sarah Pavan is most deserving of being named the Volleyball Academic All-American of the Year,” Zimmer said. “She takes great pride in her academics and is appreciative to the faculty and staff on our campus who have supported her lofty goals. She is a great example to her teammates and the rest of her Nebraska student-athlete peers that excellence in academics and athletics at the highest level is attainable at Nebraska.”

First-Team Academic All-Americans

Player	School	Hometown	GPA	Major
Jackie Choi	New Mexico St.	Corpus Christi, Texas	4.0	Economics and Accounting
Christi Hahn	Texas A&M	Leander, Texas	4.00	Kinesiology/Exercise Science
Sarah Pavan	Nebraska	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada	4.00	Biochemistry
Kate Bean	Toledo	Louisville, Ky.	3.98	Community Health
Heidi Krug	East Carolina	Kildeer, Ill.	4.0	Biology
Sarah Kirkwood	Virginia	Tampa, Fla.	3.92	Cognitive Science/Pre-Med

-- Huskers --