Volleyball | 12/9/2015 10:13:00 AM

2015 Academic All-America®

Austin, Texas----Wingate University senior right-side hitter Shelly Stumpff (Iowa City, Iowa) has been named a third team Academic All-America® honoree by CoSIDA. The AVCA honorable mention All-American earns Academic All-America® recognition for the first time in her career. Stumpff is the only player from the SAC or the NCAA Southeast Region to earn Academic All-America® accolades this year.

Stumpff is the seventh Wingate volleyball player to earn Academic All-America® honors and first since Grace Krauser in 2012. Krauser was one of three Wingate volleyball players to earn Academic All-America® accolades multiple times. Stumpff is Wingate's 91st Academic All-America® honoree all-time.

Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium (Duke is second). Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all South Atlantic Conference schools.

"Shelly came to Wingate to be an impact player on a nationally successful volleyball team, while at the same time prepare for a career as a teacher," head coach Shelton Collier says. "It is great she could accomplish both. Her being an "A" student in her academic classes plus complete all of the required teaching hours at area schools, in addition to being an award-winning volleyball player is very impressive and we are proud that she was selected for such a prestigious honor."

In 2015, Stumpff was named the SAC Player of the Year, while also picking up first team all-conference honors. She earned All-Region accolades from the AVCA and the D2CCA to go along with honorable mention All-American honors from the AVCA. Stumpff led SAC with 3.94 kills and 0.60 aces per set, ranking sixth nationally in aces. She was also the league-leader in points, ranking 17th in the nation with 4.8 points per set. Stumpff finished second on the team with 3.16 digs per set while ranking sixth in the conference with a .288 hitting percentage.

Stumpff has a 3.707 GPA, majoring in Math and Education. She has been a member of the Dean's List and President's list during her four years at Wingate, while also earning SAC Honor Roll honors in each of her first three years. A team captain of the 10-time defending SAC champion Bulldogs, Stumpff has over 80 hours of classroom experience, helping students work with math. She also participated in Trunk or Treat at Forest Hills High School in 2013. Stumpff and the Bulldogs also participated in service events during the NCAA Elite Eight in 2013 and 2014.

Stumpff finished her illustrious career as Wingate's all-time leader with 219 aces. She ranks third in program history with 1,405 kills, adding 1,216 digs. She averaged 3.1 kills per set in her career. Stumpff is one of only three Bulldogs with at least 1400 career kills. She ranks third in school history in kills per set, while her 449 kills in 2015 ranks sixth in single-season history. The three-time All-SAC and All-Region selection was the SAC and Region Freshman of the Year in 2012. She led Wingate in kills three of her four seasons, helping the Bulldogs pile up four regular season SAC titles, three conference tournament championships and three NCAA Southeast Regional titles.

WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, consistently ranked as a top 10 "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,100 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, master's degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport management and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.

With a 15 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 

In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past nine years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.

Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 82 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 82 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 91 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.