Ward selected as candidate for Senior CLASS Award
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Senior Erika Ward of the Bryant University volleyball program was one of thirty NCAA® women's volleyball student-athletes who were selected on Monday as a candidate for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award® for excelling both on and off the court.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later this month, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in April.
For more information on all the candidates, visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
Classroom
Ward recently posted a perfect 4.0 GPA this past fall semester and has been a member of Bryant's Dean's List from 2017-2019. In 2020, she earned President's List honors.
She is also set to do a directed study with the Director of Global Supply Chain Management at Bryant on Humanitarian Supply Chains. The two will write and potentially publish an article on Edesia, a non-profit organization that manufactures specialized ready-to-use foods that save the lives of malnourished children all over the world. The article will tell the story of the company's mission, which is to feed as many children as possible.
Character
Ward's love for Supply Chain Management is that she can use her skills to give back and serve a greater purpose, which is evident in her multiple efforts in giving back to both the local and global community.
Outside of academics, Ward has been tasked with leading the team as a captain during these unprecedented times. She hosts bi-weekly zoom meetings to keep the team connected and is known to over-communicate to about ever-changing practice plans, team bonding sessions, and ensuring the team is staying safe and following protocol guidelines. Over the long winter break, Ward also led a team initiative to mail hand written letters to one another to stay connected. She even worked with strength coaches to create a nutrition and lifestyle handbook for her team.
Standing at just 5'1, Ward is described as "tough as nails" by her head coach, Theresa Garlacy. She is someone who is extremely caring and strives to inspire others to seek out a belief system or things outside of volleyball.
Community
Ward was a founding member of the Catholic Student Association (CSA) on campus, where she served on the executive board. In conjunction with CSA, Ward led the volleyball team to raise over $500 for supplies to fill backpacks that were donated to the less fortunate through the Rhode Island Dream Center. CSA helped Ward connect with the Rhode Island Dream Center where she works with the manager of the organization to help with any and all volunteer opportunities.
She also volunteers with Special Olympics and even coaches her own team of athletes. During her time as a coach, Ward worked closely with a deaf athlete and used a special microphone to communicate and better coach the skills of volleyball. She not only coaches and preps her team for their tournaments, but volunteers as a referee as well.
Lastly, Ward worked with Leadership professor James Segovis to improve the team's leadership skills. The duo held workshops for the team via bi-weekly zoom meetings.
Competition
Erika Ward was the fastest player in Bryant's history to reach 1,000 digs as a sophomore. She earned All-NEC second team honors during the campaign and led the Bulldogs to their first-ever NEC Championship.
She also holds Bryant's Division I record for career digs with 1,412.
2020-21 Senior CLASS Award Volleyball Candidates:
Whitney Brown, Robert Morris University Alli Lowe, Colgate University
Camille Conner, Texas A&M University Elizaveta Lukianova, University of Miami
Gabby Curry, University of Kentucky Mac May, University of California, LA
Ciara Debell, Marshall University Meghan McClure, Stanford University
Kylie Deberg, University of Missouri Chinaza Ndee, University of Pittsburgh
Nadia Dieudonne, Western Kentucky University Caitlyn Newton, Purdue University
Dani Drews, University of Utah Regan Pittman, University of Minnesota
Melissa Evans, North Carolina State University Yossiana Pressley, Baylor University
Thana Fayad, University of San Diego Stephanie Samedy, University of Minnesota
Emma Granger, Robert Morris University Lauren Sanders, University of Washington
Paige Hammons, University of Florida Isabella Seman, Elon University
Stef Jankiewicz, Illinois State University Avery Skinner, University of Kentucky
Kenzie Koerber, University of Utah Jamie Smith, Iona College
Nicole Lennon, Rice University Erika Ward, Bryant University
Madison Lilley, University of Kentucky Anne-Marie Watson, University of Central Florida