POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – For the first time in program history, a MACU Volleyball standout has been selected for the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Susan R. Hellings Award as junior defensive specialist Sydney Martin earned the esteemed honor while eight Evangels received Scholar-Athlete accolades on Tuesday night.
The Hellings Award is a decorated honor that is a part of the NCCAA's Game Plan 4 LIFE Character Award series, an honor that is presented to a student-athlete that best exemplifies the Biblical values of Love, Integrity, Faith and Excellence.
A native of Krum, Texas, Martin has been an integral piece of MACU's back row defense over the last three years. With a year of eligibility remaining, Martin already holds the fourth-best mark in MACU's NAIA Era (2007-present) record book for career service aces with 143, needing just eight more aces to move into second and sits 14 back of teammate Casady McKinney at the top of the book.
Martin has a great chance of setting a career milestone at this year's NCCAA National Championships as she heads into the tournament with 981 digs, needing only 19 more to become just the fifth Evangel in the NAIA Era to reach 1000 career digs.
On-top of being great on the court, Martin has been a leader for the team both in the classroom and in campus ministry as she is a two-time NAIA and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete with a 3.82 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in Ministry. Martin is a well-recognized figure on the MACU campus as she serves the Student Ministerial Fellowship, a group that builds a Christ-centered campus community while also serving as a Resident Assistant.
Martin is an academic leader of a stellar group led by fifth-year head coach Holly McKamie that year-in and year-out posts one of the highest team GPAs in the NCCAA with more than half the team earning academic accolades.
To earn NCCAA Scholar-Athlete accolades, a student-athlete must be an active member of the program, be at least a junior by academic standing, completed at least one semester at the nominating institution and maintain at least a 3.40 cumulative GPA.
For the complete list of MACU's eight NCCAA Scholar-Athletes, check out the list below…
Annabeth Fehrle
Kaylee Harrison
Sarah Jones-Stafford
Sydney Martin
Casady McKinny
Miriam Nardi
Lena Stockhammer
Lauryn Walters
