AUSTIN, Texas – Gustavus senior Kate Holtan (Rochester) on Wednesday was selected to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division III Volleyball Team. Holtan is one of six student-athletes on the Second Team, with 21 student-athletes from across the country comprising First, Second, and Third Teams. Academic All-America Teams recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
Holtan, a management major with a 3.78 GPA, has played and started in 95 career matches, helping the Gusties achieve a 69-26 overall record including the 2018 MIAC playoff championship and 2018 NCAA region title. Holtan is a three-time AVCA All-America honorable mention selection, three-time AVCA All-Central Region Team member, and a three-time MIAC All-Conference Team member. During her first year, Holtan was named the 2017 AVCA Central Region Freshman of the Year and MIAC Rookie of the Year.
Through 95 career matches, Holtan holds the Gustavus program record with an average 3.54 kills per set. She ranks seventh in program history with 1,233 career kills and is 11th on the career list with 962 digs. If Holtan records 38 more digs during the fall season, she will become just the second player in program history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs.
Holtan garners Gustavus’s 119th CoSIDA Academic All-America honor, which ranks first in the MIAC (49 more than the next institution), tied for 12th in NCAA Division III, and tied for 36th among all NCAA divisions. Holtan is the second Gustavus volleyball player to earn Academic All-America honors, joining her sister Nora Holtan, who earned Second Team honors in 2017 and 2018.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Most Division III Academic All-America Honorees
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology 339
- Washington University 194
- Emory University 192
- Nebraska Wesleyan University 185
- Augustana College 176
- Johns Hopkins University 169
- Carnegie-Mellon University 158
- Calvin 139
- Rose Hulman Institute of Technology 134
- Illinois Wesleyan University 133
- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 127
- Gustavus Adolphus College 119