PROVIDENCE, RI - Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that Wichita State volleyball player Mikaela Raudsepp has been chosen as the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by The American's faculty athletic representatives and is presented on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance.
Raudsepp, a senior from Dundee, Oregon, will receive a $4,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
A Scholar-Athlete of the Year also was chosen from each of the Conference's 21-sponsored sports, as well as men's and women's at-large selections. Those individuals will receive a $2,000 stipend toward graduate or professional studies.
An outside hitter, Raudsepp, a first-team all-conference selection, helped lead Wichita State to an historic first season in The American as the Shockers finished with a 29-4 overall record and won the regular-season crown perfect 20-0 mark in conference play. Her team advanced to the second-round of the NCAA Volleyball Championship as the No. 16 seed after earning its third consecutive tournament berth.
She played in 33 matches and 111 sets in 2017, while hitting .238 with 312 kills, 29 assists, 13 service aces, 174 digs, six solo blocks and 46 block assists was named to the Shocker Volleyball Classic All-Tournament team.
Raudsepp was a member of Wichita State's Student Athlete Advisory Committee for four years and served as its vice president during both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 school years. She earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in Fall 2017 and has an overall grade-point average of 3.845. Raudsepp will graduate in May with a degree in general studies biology with a minor in communication.
American Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2013-14 Nicole Scott, Swimming and Diving, Rutgers
2014-15 Kadi Kullerkann, Volleyball, Houston
2015-16 Avery Acker, Volleyball, SMU
2016-17 Micaela Bouter, Swimming and Diving, Houston
2017-18 Mikaela Raudsepp, Volleyball, Wichita State
2017-18 Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Basketball Kitija Laksa, USF
Cross Country Lauren Bartels, Tulane
Golf Megan Thothong, Houston
Indoor Track and Field Rosie Chamberlain, UCF
Outdoor Track and Field Loretta Blaut, Cincinnati
Rowing Hannah Vissers, Tulsa
Soccer Vanessa Gilles, Cincinnati
Softball Emily Watson, Tulsa
Swimming and Diving Micaela Bouter, Houston
Tennis Monica Matias, UCF
Volleyball Mikaela Raudsepp, Wichita State
At-Large Charlotte Veitner, UConn (Field Hockey)/
Lauren Hudson, Cincinnati (Lacrosse)
