Volleyball Academic All-America® Teams

Austin, Texas----Wingate University redshirt sophomore middle blocker Sydney Morland has added another impressive honor to her huge 2024 season, earning third team Academic All-America® accolades from the College Sports Communicators (CSC). Morland earns Academic All-America recognition for the first time in her career.

Morland gives Wingate 156 all-time Academic All-America® honorees all-time, the most in SAC history. The Bulldogs rank second in all of NCAA Division II with 147 honorees since 2000, while leading all schools in North Carolina in the category since 2000.

Morland gives Wingate volleyball 12 Academic All-America® honorees all-time. She is the first Bulldogs to earn Academic All-America® accolades since 2018, when Anna Holmquist picked up second team honors. Morland is the first Wingate volleyball player to pick up All-American and Academic All-America honors in the same season since 2011, when WU Hall of Famer Liz Willis picked up both prestigious honors.

Morland has hauled in the hardware this year, earning SAC Player of the Year accolades while also being named the Southeast Region Player of the Year by the AVCA and D2CCA. The first team All-SAC and All-Region selection earned AVCA second team All-American honors and D2CCA third team All-American accolades. She was also named the SAC Tournament MVP and was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA Southeast Regionals. Morland led the 'Dogs to the SAC regular season and tournament titles, while also leading the Bulldogs to the regional championship and a national quarterfinal appearance. Morland played a big role in Wingate ranking third in the nation in kills per set, fourth in hitting percentage and assists per set, sixth in winning percentage and eighth in opponents' hitting percentage.

Morland ended the regular season as the national leader in hitting percentage, while leading the Bulldogs in kills all year. She averaged team-high 2.7 kills per set with a .427 hitting percentage, while adding 94 blocks and 27 digs. Morland had 14 double-digit kill matches on the year, hitting over .300 in all of those contests while hitting over .400 in 11 of the matches. She hit .611 with 12 kills against Francis Marion, while notching 13 kills with a .435 hitting percentage against Northwest Missouri State. Morland hit .625 with 16 kills at Anderson, while hitting .733 with 11 kills at Coker. She followed that with 11 kills and a .769 hitting percentage against Emory & Henry. Morland hit .429 with nine kills against Mars Hill in the SAC semis, while piling up 10 kills with a .450 hitting percentage in the title match win against LR.

In the classroom, Morland has a 3.77 GPA, majoring in Psychology. She has been named to the Dean's List and President's List during her time at Wingate, while also earning a spot on the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® program

The College Sports Communicators (CSC) began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, have recognized thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.
 
Currently, the CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's and women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the at-large program.

The Academic All-America® program is comprised of divisional teams for NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Added for the 2018-19 academic year was a separate at-large program for two-year schools and Canadian institutions. Members at two-year schools, Canadian institutions and any other institution not affiliated with the NCAA or NAIA nominate their student-athletes in all sports during the spring nomination period.

For more information about the College Sports Communicators' Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® teams program, please visit AcademicAllAmerica.com or the Academic All-America® home page on collegesportscommunicators.com.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 26 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 16 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.