MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota volleyball student-athletes Phoebe Awoleye, Calissa Minatee, Kate Thibault and Mckenna Wucherer have been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, the organization announced this week. The 2024 Academic All‐District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student‐athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Phoebe Awoleye, who was […]
MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota volleyball student-athletes Phoebe Awoleye, Calissa Minatee, Kate Thibault and Mckenna Wucherer have been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team, the organization announced this week. The 2024 Academic All‐District Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognizes the nation’s top student‐athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Phoebe Awoleye, who was named Academic All-Big Ten and made the All-Big Ten Second Team, earned her first CSC Academic All-District nod. She is working towards her master’s in sports management and boasted a perfect 4.0 GPA in graduate school. Awoleye had a big senior year that saw her make the AVCA All-Northwest Region Team and win two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards. She also made the Capital Credit Union Classic All-Tournament Team in September. She started in all 32 matches in 2024, going for 1.48 blocks, 0.97 kills and 0.17 digs per set. She also recorded four 10+ block matches and tied the school record with 14 blocks Oct. 12 vs. Maryland. Awoleye also ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten during conference play with 1.64 blocks per set and 125 blocks.
Calissa Minatee earned her first CSC Academic All-District honor as well in 2024. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, she is undeclared in her major but holds a 3.96 GPA. Minatee had a breakout sophomore season that saw her play in all 32 matches, recording 1.52 kills, 0.98 blocks and 0.25 digs per set. She tallied three double-dit kill matches and had three-or-more blocks 24 times. Minatee was also named to the Diet Coke Classic All-Tournament Team in September after recording 16 kills on over .500 hitting in two matches.
Kate Thibault, a sophomore defensive specialist from Watertown, Minn., earned her first CSC All-District honor in 2024. Also an Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Thibault played in all 32 matches in her first season at Minnesota, posting 1.79 digs and 0.31 assists per set. She tallied seven 10+ dig matches. including going for a career-high of 16 at Wisconsin on Nov. 20. Thibault, who is undeclared in her major, holds a 3.69 GPA.
Mckenna Wucherer took home second first CSC Academic All-District honor in 2024. The sports management major holds a 3.97 GPA in the classroom. In 2024, Wucherer ranked third on Minnesota with 2.49 kills per set, tallying 10-or-more kills 10 times. She played in 27 matches in 2024, also recording 1.34 digs and 0.57 blocks per set. She went for two double-doubles on the season, including a 14-kill, 10-dig performance to open the season against No. 5 Stanford.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes volleyball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. The CSC Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes listed on the following pages. Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced Jan. 14, 2025.
The Gophers went 21-11 (13-7 Big Ten) in 2024, advancing to their 10th straight NCAA Tournament. The Gophers season ended on Dec. 6 in the Round of 32.
