Oct. 13, 2016
Van Gunst’s Senior CLASS profile
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech senior outside hitter Teegan Van Gunst is one of 30 NCAA volleyball student-athletes selected as candidates for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award, which were announced Thursday by the organization. Van Gunst is the lone representative for the ACC.
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.
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.
A native of Fayetteville, Ga., Van Gunst has started every match since 2014 and is an AVCA All-America honorable mention, an AVCA all-region team selection and First-Team All-ACC honoree. This season she became one of only eight Yellow Jackets to eclipse 1,000 career kills and digs.
Off the court, Van Gunst has been a part of several community service initiatives including Girls on the Run, the Special Olympics, a mission trip to the Dominican Republic and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation.
In the classroom, Van Gunst is a 2015 CoSIDA Academic All-District first team selection and a 2014 CoSIDA Academic All-District second team selection. She was named to the 2014 and 2015 Academic All-ACC teams, and is an ACC Honor Roll member in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She currently owns a 3.88 GPA in mechanical engineering.
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the regular season, 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 2016 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
Candidates
Inky Ajanaku, Stanford | Dani Mostrom, Wichita State |
Jazzmin Babers, Texas A&M | Demi Muses, New Hampshire |
Abby Bessler, Xavier | Meghan Niemann, Marquette |
Jess Bird, Creighton | Kayla Ostrom, Lipscomb |
Amy Boswell, BYU | Megan O’Sullivan, Fairfield |
Katie Brand, Kansas State | Chloe Reinig, Michigan State |
Hayley Farrer, Idaho State | Kadie Rolfzen, Nebraska |
Claire Felix, UCLA | Keelin Severtson, New Hampshire |
Tessa Fournier, Seton Hall | Ashley Smith, TCU |
Janey Goodman, James Madison | Lauren Smith, Creighton |
Carly Kan, Missouri | Hannah Tapp, Minnesota |
Grace Kauth, Cleveland State | Paife Tapp, Minnesota |
Hannah Klemm, Hofstra | Teegan Van Gunst, Georgia Tech |
Valeria Leon, Ohio State | Cassie Wait, Kansas |
Laini Leindecker, Albany | Taylor Whittingham, Southern California |
For an inside look at the program, follow Georgia Tech volleyball on Twitter, @GTVolleyball, Instagram, GTVolleyball, and like the Yellow Jackets on Facebook, Georgia Tech Volleyball.
