Piedmont's Capital One Academic All-American History

Towson, MD - Piedmont College volleyball player Kaitlin Norman has been named to the Capital One Academic All-American team after leading her Lady Lions to a program-record 28 wins in 2013 and a semifinal appearance in the USA South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.  Norman is only the third Piedmont student-athlete to ever be named to the Academic All-American team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSida) and the second in this academic year alone joining Laura Goodwin of the women's soccer team who took the same honor just over two weeks ago.

"We are really excited to see Kaitlin recognized with this honor," said Piedmont Director of Intercollegiate Athletics John Dzik. "It is a testimony to her hard work, perseverance and abilities both on the volleyball court and in the classroom."

"I've been lucky enough to have a background of faith, family and friends that have helped me to receive such an honor and I owe them all such a great deal of thanks," said Norman of her path to the honor.  "I would definitely like to thank my teammates as well as Coach Feldman who lets us focus on our academics and really put the student part first in being a student-athlete at Piedmont.  I would also like to thank my parents (Ed & Hayden Norman) who always have encouraged me to do my best in the classroom and took the time to send me to a good school like Piedmont.  I'm happy to represent the school on this list!"

Norman is one of just 18 volleyball players from around the country in NCAA Division III to earn the prestigious honor being named to the 2nd team alongside players from some of the best volleyball programs in the nation such as Maggie Kamp of Calvin, the 2013 NCAA Division III National Champions.  Known for her increasingly popular strut after slamming down a powerful kill, Norman is also known around campus as one of the brightest minds of the science department maintaining a 4.00 GPA while majoring in Biology, one of Piedmont's most demanding academic programs.

Commitment in the classroom is nothing new though for this junior from Good Hope, Georgia as she received either the Founder's Award (highest grade in the class) or President's Award (95 or better in a class) for every subject she took at Westminster Christian before arriving at Piedmont.  As the salutatorian of her graduating high school class, Norman was also a three-time All-State selection and has had her jersey retired at Westminster following a decorated career.

"I am humbled by Kaitlin's achievement," said veteran Head Coach Sid Feldman who sees one of his players earn the award for the first time in his storied 18-year college coaching career. "It is truly an honor to have had the opportunity to coach this outstanding individual. Excellence in the classroom, excellence on the court and excellence in her relationships with her teammates defines Kaitlin."

As one of the most feared hitters in all the league, Norman led her Lady Lions to a semifinal appearance in the 2013 USA South Athletic Conference Championship Tournament in just the second season for PC in the prestigious league.  Offensively, Norman was in the top 10 amongst the USA South in both total attacks (858) as well as total kills (301), but it was the veteran's defense that proved why she is one of the best players in the conference and an All-Conference selection.  Norman ranked 2nd in the USA South in block assists (83) and 9th in solo blocks (18) as she was one of just six players in the league to collect more than 100 blocks on the season.

In addition to her individual success, Norman's 2013 squad posted the most victories in a single season (28) in the now 17-year history of the Piedmont volleyball program having helped Head Coach Sid Feldman to his 100th win as the leader of the Lady Lions just this year, his fifth at the helm.  PC also posted its best 16-game start in program history going 15-1 to begin the 2013 season including a program-record 13-game winning streak that saw the Lady Lions go almost the entire month of September without suffering a loss.

"This is such an honor to be named a Capital One Academic All-American," said Norman after learning of her selection to the 2013 list.  "This is even more special given how demanding Piedmont is academically especially within the Biology department.  I'm hoping this award will help me finish strong in my Organic Chemistry class this semester!"

To be eligible for Capital One Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. In addition, nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's matches at their respective positions.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSida has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 19,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports. For more information about the Academic All-America® Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.