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MVNU's Stevens to Receive Woody Hayes Scholar-Athlete Award
written by Dave Parsons, Sports Information Director

Photo of Amanda Stevens

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Amanda Stevens, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene University women’s volleyball team, has been selected as one of six 2006 Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award recipients nationwide by the University and Northwest Sertoma Club of Columbus.

Stevens, an outside hitter from Mount Vernon, Ohio, put together an outstanding career for the Lady Cougars over the past four years. She played in 654 games as MVNU posted a 149-49 record during her career. The former All-Ohioan at Centerburg High School finished her career with the Lady Cougars ranked second in school history in kills (2,004) and first in both digs (2,519) and aces (214). She was also a member of the MVNU women’s basketball team as a freshman and sophomore and averaged 7.4 points during her two years on the team.

Among Stevens’ many honors, she was a two-time National Christian College Athletic Association First Team All-American as well as being an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American as a junior. She was named to the American Mideast Conference South Division First Team once and the AMC South Division Second Team twice. A two-time NCCAA East Region Team pick, Stevens was also chosen as the NCCAA East Region Player of the Year as a junior.

In the classroom, Stevens is also a standout as her 3.836 grade point average indicates. The Early Childhood Education major has been named to the MVNU Dean’s List all seven semesters and is a two-time NAIA and NCCAA All-America Scholar-Athlete selection. She was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Second Team as a senior and the CoSIDA Academic All-District IV Third Team as a sophomore.

Stevens’ leadership abilities are evident as she has served as a captain for the Lady Cougars this past season. She is active in Fellowship of Christian Athletes and in her home church, Mount Vernon First Church of the Nazarene, as a nursery worker and helping with the Upward Basketball program. She has served as a Junior Olympic volleyball coach and she has been a small group leader at MVNU. She was also involved in a mentoring program with fifth and sixth graders during the summer of 2004, and she spent January of 2005 in San Diego where she helped pass out food to homeless people and tutored in an after-school program. In addition, she was part of a missions trip to the Bahamas in 2002.

"This is a great honor for Amanda to receive,” said MVNU volleyball coach Paul Swanson. "She truly represents what this award is all about. She has had tremendous success with our volleyball program and in the classroom. She has also been involved in numerous community service activities. She has put a lot of time and energy into being the best that she can be in all aspects of her life despite a very demanding schedule. This award is a nice recognition of all of those efforts.”

The Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Awards are presented annually to the outstanding male and female scholar-athlete in each of the three collegiate divisions. The criteria include success in the athlete’s sport and in the classroom and community service work. A panel of eminently qualified judges selects the winners from among all the nominations submitted by sports information directors from each institution. By honoring six scholar-athletes each year, the University and Northwest Sertoma Club seeks to establish a perpetual living memorial to the late Ohio State University football coach Woody Hayes.

In addition to Stevens, the other five honorees for 2006 are: Luke Johnson, University of Southern Mississippi, football - Division I male; Jessica Ring, University of Wisconsin, soccer - Division I female; Jason Koch, St. Cloud State (Minn.) University, football and track and field - Division II/NAIA male; Santo Maimone, Case Western Reserve University, football - Division III male; and Holly Glover, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor (Texas), golf - Division III female.

Stevens becomes the fourth MVNU athlete to be honored during the 19 years in which the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award has been presented. Former Cougar men’s basketball player Adam Stevens was selected as one of the recipients in 2001, former MVNU men’s soccer player Casey Swanson was an honoree in 2003, and former Lady Cougar women’s soccer player Cheryl Balogh was the most recent MVNU recipient in 2004.

The 2006 winners were honored at an awards banquet at the Villa Milano restaurant in Columbus on Friday evening, January 27