November 23, 1998

RICKARDS NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT TEAM

LANCASTER, PA --- Senior middle blocker Stephanie Rickards (Lansdowne/Upper Darby HS) of the Moravian College women’s volleyball team has been named to the 1998 GTE/CoSIDA District II College Division All-Academic Team.

Rickards, who maintains a perfect 4.00 grade-point average in Secondary Education, has also been named to the Middle Atlantic Conference Women’s Volleyball Commonwealth League All-Star First Team, the MAC Executive Director’s All-Academic Team and the American Volleyball Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic All-Region Team this fall.

Rickards completed the season with a .368 hitting percentage along with a school record 468 kills. She had 125 blocks to lead the Lady Greyhounds to a 27-7 overall record and the school’s second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III playoffs. She also had 276 digs and 38 service aces.

Athletes nominated for the District II College Division All-Academic Team must be starters or significant reserves who have reached sophomore standing and maintained a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.20. Eight all-district teams are voted on by sports information directors with first-team all-district selections going on to the national ballot. District II’s College Division encompasses NCAA Division II and III and NAIA schools in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Rickards is the 31^st Moravian athlete to be named academic all-district including 21 selections over the past five years.