Calli Scott captures 2009-10 UAA Athlete of the Year

ANCHORAGE — Calli Scott, who led the Seawolf volleyball program to its best season in program history, was named Friday night as the 2009-10 winner of the University of Alaska Anchorage's Athlete of the Year award at the athletic department's 26th annual end-of-year banquet at Lucy Cuddy Hall.

In November, the 5-7 setter became first Seawolf to earn the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year award for volleyball after powering UAA to a 23-8 overall record and its first GNAC title. The Scottsdale, Ariz. (Pinnacle HS/Glendale College) native was also voted to the All-West Region First Team and was an Honorable Mention All-America pick by both Daktronics (sports information directors) and the AVCA (coaches).

One of three unanimous choices to All-GNAC First Team, Scott led the league and finished 21st in the NCAA Division II national stats with 10.64 assists per set. She boosted the Seawolves to the best team attack percentage (.222) in the league by 15 percentage points and shattered UAA's career assists per set record (10.64), finishing No. 5 in total assists (2,401) after just two seasons.

Scott delivered 45 or more assists on 12 occasions as a senior, including a career-high 64 in UAA's 3-2 road victory over BYU-Hawaii in September. On November 19, she had 45 assists and three blocks as the Seawolves earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in a 5-set thriller over 14th-ranked Hawaii-Hilo.

The GNAC Newcomer of the Year as a junior in 2008, Scott also became the first player in the 14-year history of UAA's Extended Stay Deluxe Invitational to earn back-to-back tournament Most Outstanding Player awards when she led her team to that title in August.

Scott becomes just the second volleyball player to win the coveted Athlete of the Year award, joining Jennie Szczerbinski (1993).

The Athlete of the Year award, sponsored by the Benton Bay Athletic Lions Club and UAA Athletics, is voted on by a committee of UAA Athletics staff, Benton Bay members and local media.

The other 2010 nominees were Andreas Adde (men's skiing), Jaime Bronga (women's skiing), Elizabeth Chepkosgei (women's track & field), Marko Cheseto (men's cross country and track & field), Kevin Clark (hockey), Tamar Gruwell (women's basketball), Miriam Kipng'Eno (women's cross country), Brandon Walker (men's basketball) and Courtney Williams (gymnastics).