Hope College national-champion volleyball player Jenna Grasmeyer has been named the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s nominee for the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year Award.
The recent graduate from Jenison, Michigan (Hudsonville Unity Christian HS), is among 51 Division III nominees and a record 147 nominees from all three divisions by conferences and independent colleges.
Now in its 25th year, the NCAA Woman of the Year Award recognizes graduating female student-athletes for excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership.
The NCAA Woman of the Year selection committee next will select the top 10 honorees in each division. These top 30 honorees will be announced in early September.
Nine finalists, including three in each division, will be named at the end of September.
The winner will be announced during an October 18 ceremony in Indianapolis.
Grasmeyer was a standout performer in volleyball throughout her four years at Hope College.
An outside hitter for the Flying Dutch, Grasmeyer was a four-time All-MIAA first team selection and was selected a first team All-American three times by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She led Hope to a 58-6 record in MIAA play and a 120-17 overall mark during her four years. She served as team captain in her junior and senior years. Grasmeyer capped off her career last fall by leading the Flying Dutch to their first NCAA Division III national championship, earning Most Outstanding Player honors for the tournament.
Grasmeyer set numerous school records during her career, including kills (1,839), attack attempts (4,641), service attempts (1,666) and matches played (137). She also tied a school single-match record for kills with 28 and set the single-match record for attack attempts with 75.
An exercise science major at Hope, Grasmeyer graduated in May with a 3.79 grade point average. She was a three-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll, and over the winter was named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team in volleyball by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Grasmeyer was heavily involved in campus and community activities during her career at Hope.
As a member of Hope's Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC), she planned and coordinated a campus and athlete-wide food drive that contributed 2,000 items to a local food bank. She also served as a mentor to a young child struggling with obesity, helping her with exercises and healthy food choices, worked individually with a special needs child in a therapy pool and volunteered to help third-graders with their reading skills. She also volunteered at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and at Harbor House in Jenison.
Jenna Grasmeyer is the daughter of Mark and Karla Grasmeyer.