Ball State University Athletics
Sarah Obras Named to ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team
December 01, 2005 | Women's Volleyball
Muncie, Ind. - - Ball State senior outside attacker Sarah Obras (Pendleton, Ind./Pendleton Heights H.S.) has been named to the 2005 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Third Team, as voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Obras is just the fifth BSU women's volleyball player to earn Academic All-America accolades and brings the team's total awards to eight - - four first team, two second team and two third team.
"There really is no better way for Sarah to end her career than with one of the highest athletic and academic honors a student-athlete can receive," said Ball State head coach Randy Litchfield. "Without this award, she closed her career in great fashion. Being named an Academic All-American just adds a cap to all the achievements she has made over her career."
Obras, an accounting major with a 3.86 GPA, picks up the honor after completing her fourth and final season for the Cardinals. A three-time First Team All-Mid-American Conference selection over her career, as well as the 2002 MAC Freshman of the Year, Obras earned All-MAC Honorable Mention accolades in 2005 after recovering from a season-ending knee injury that sidelined her for the final four matches last season.
A two-time MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week in 2005, Obras was also named to the Academic All-MAC team for the third-straight season. She is also a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V First Team honoree (2004 and 2005), as well as a ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Second Team selection (2003).
Obras ended her career at Ball State as the schools' and the league's all-time career kills leader at 1,975. The first player in league history to record over 1,500 kills and 1,500 digs in a career, Obras also ranks sixth on the MAC's all-time list with 1,652 career digs. The total ranks as the second-highest in BSU annals. In addition, Obras is the MAC's all-time career attempts leader with 5,699.
During the 2005 campaign, Obras played in 112 of the team's 115 games, while starting 30 of a possible 31 matches. She recorded 359 kills and 411 digs for averages of 3.21 kills per game and 3.67 digs per game. She also tallied a career-best 28 service aces on the year while posting 45 total blocks.
The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA; a 2,000-member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20 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. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
