Photo by: Washington Athletics
Vansant, Kikaha Earn Tom Hansen Conference Medals
June 30, 2015 | Volleyball, Student-Athlete Academic Services
SAN FRANCISCO – Volleyball player Krista Vansant and football player Hau'oli Kikaha have been named the University of Washington's recipients of the annual Tom Hansen Conference Medal, the Pac-12 announced today.
A Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
At the end of her senior season, Vansant repeated as the Honda Award winner for volleyball, becoming the second Husky ever to win back-to-back Honda Awards, joining softball's Danielle Lawrie. Vansant was named Pac-12 Player of the Year for consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, and was an AVCA first-team All-American both years. She was also named the 2014-15 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Volleyball, the 2014-15 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the 2014 ESPNW National Volleyball Player of the Year.
A native of Redlands, Calif., she finished her career as the leader in kills at Washington with 1,893 and this season posted a career-best .320 hitting percentage along with a career-high 4.67 kills per set, leading the Huskies to a 31-3 record on the year. Vansant recently competed for the U.S. National Team for the first time in international competition, and she was named the MVP of the Pan American Cup, leading Team USA to the gold medal.
Kikaha, an outside linebacker from Hau'ula, Hawai'i, turned in one of the most decorated season in Washington football history. The nation's leader in sacks, with 19, he was just the fifth UW football player ever to earn unanimous first-team All-America.
Kikaha, who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the NFL Draft, was a finalist for five national awards (Lombardi, Hendricks, Butkus, Lott IMPACT and Polynesian Player of the Year) and also earned first-team Academic All-District VIII and first-team Academic All-Pac-12.
A Conference Medal is awarded annually to each member institution's outstanding senior male and female student-athlete based on the exhibition of the greatest combination of performance and achievement in scholarship, athletics and leadership.
At the end of her senior season, Vansant repeated as the Honda Award winner for volleyball, becoming the second Husky ever to win back-to-back Honda Awards, joining softball's Danielle Lawrie. Vansant was named Pac-12 Player of the Year for consecutive years in 2013 and 2014, and was an AVCA first-team All-American both years. She was also named the 2014-15 Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for Volleyball, the 2014-15 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and the 2014 ESPNW National Volleyball Player of the Year.
A native of Redlands, Calif., she finished her career as the leader in kills at Washington with 1,893 and this season posted a career-best .320 hitting percentage along with a career-high 4.67 kills per set, leading the Huskies to a 31-3 record on the year. Vansant recently competed for the U.S. National Team for the first time in international competition, and she was named the MVP of the Pan American Cup, leading Team USA to the gold medal.
Kikaha, an outside linebacker from Hau'ula, Hawai'i, turned in one of the most decorated season in Washington football history. The nation's leader in sacks, with 19, he was just the fifth UW football player ever to earn unanimous first-team All-America.
Kikaha, who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the NFL Draft, was a finalist for five national awards (Lombardi, Hendricks, Butkus, Lott IMPACT and Polynesian Player of the Year) and also earned first-team Academic All-District VIII and first-team Academic All-Pac-12.
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