Five Volleyball Players Claim Scholar Athlete Honors

2015 Dec 7

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced Friday that 588 Women's Soccer student-athletes have been named 2015 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Dordt has five players on the list.

Kaira Krommendyk (Senior; Orange City, Iowa), Alison Lammers (Senior; Centennial, Colorado) and Marissa LeDuc (Senior; Mount Vernon, Washington) all earn the honor for the second time while Nicole Postman (Senior; Nobleford, Alberta) and Ashley Bloemhof (Junior; Ripon, California) earn the recognition for the first time.

Krommendyk is studying Biology at Dordt and appeared in a pair of game for the Defenders this season.

"Kaira exemplifies what being dedicated means. She is studying to be pre-med, and for most seasons has had labs between two to four days per week. To remain involved with soccer while maintaining her studies is not easy task. She has never complained and this award lauds her intelligence and her attitude," said Dordt College coach Bill Elgersma.

Lammers is a nursing major and played in 16 games this season and helped the Defenders limit opponents to 1.7 goals per game.

Ali not only managed to fit soccer in but did so in a way that made her an integral part of the team. Being a Scholar-Athlete while engaged in the rigorous nature of the nursing program is a credit to her character and her work ethic," said Elgersma.

LeDuc is studying Health-Human Performance and scored five goals and assisted on three as the Defenders posted an 11-8 record and made a post-season appearance in the GPAC playoffs.

"Marissa is an aggressive athlete, not content to be status quo and this shows on the field," said Elgersma. "Being a physical therapy major with the labs and the classroom demands with the grad school requirements, this Scholar-Athlete award is a tribute to her ability to channel that same desire into her studies making her a worthy recipient."

Bloemhof is a Communication major and is from Ripon, California and she played in four games.

"Ashley is talented in many areas. Last year she split time with the dance team, the choir, and soccer and she still maintained her grades. This year she was involved in different activities again and will spend her second semester in DC in an internship. To be as involved as she is and earn Scholar-Athlete status is a testament to her intelligence and her abilities," said Elgersma.

Postman is an Education major and played in 17 games and had three assists while earning all-GPAC Second-Team honors this season.

"Marissa is an aggressive athlete, not content to be status quo and this shows on the field," said Elgersma. "Being a physical therapy major with the labs and the classroom demands with the grad school requirements, this Scholar athlete award is a tribute to her ability to channel that same desire into her studies making her a worthy recipient."

In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status to qualify for this honor.