Sara Wagenveld, a two-sport standout in volleyball and track & field for Azusa Pacific, has been voted as the PacWest Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Wagenveld, who was named the PacWest Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year earlier this week, recently graduated with a 3.96 GPA in English & Humanities.
This past fall, Wagenveld wrapped up her collegiate volleyball career by helping lead Azusa Pacific to its third consecutive trip to the NCAA West Regionals, where the Cougars advanced to the Regional Final. The Cougars also claimed their second consecutive PacWest title by finishing 20-2 in conference play. Wagenveld was selected as an All-PacWest First-Team performer after she finished top-10 in the conference in hitting percentage (34.2%) and total blocks (100). Her 2019 First-Team selection marked the third time in her career that she was named All-PacWest.
"Sara is more than deserving of this award," said Azusa Pacific volleyball head coach Chris Keife, "she is an excellent student first and foremost, but to also be a top athlete at the collegiate level in two sports is quite an accomplishment. The PacWest is full of many great student-athletes, which makes Sara's honor all the meaningful."
Following volleyball season, Wagenveld has turned her attention towards competing for the Cougar track & field team, with whom she has become one of the top pole vaulters in program history. Currently, Wagenveld ranks third all-time in Cougar history with a personal-best vault of 12' 10 ¼ ".This season, Wagenveld was named a USTFCCCA Indoor All-West Region performer in the pole vault after she cleared a height of 12' 5 ½ ", which was among the top-five marks in the region. Last year, she was a qualifier for the 2019 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
"Sara is an extremely dedicated student-athlete," said Azusa Pacific track & field head coach Jack Hoyt, "She is able to put 100% effort into volleyball in the fall, and then as soon as her season is completed she wastes no time in fully dedicating herself to the track program. As disappointing as it was to lose this spring season, I am excited to see what Sara can achieve in graduate school while also competing for us with two more seasons of eligibility."
Wagenveld is the second Azusa Pacific student-athlete to receive the prestigious Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year distinction, as Allie Updike (track & field) was selected for the honor in 2015-16.
The PacWest Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards are voted on by each of the conference's athletic directors.
