Reya Green named USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – At the United States College Athletic Association National Championship banquet on Nov. 7, Illinois Tech women's volleyball senior Reya Green was named the Women's Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Year. The award recognizes an exemplary student-athlete for leadership, academic, campus, and community achievement and involvement.
"I am extremely honored to receive this award from the USCAA," said Green. "The honor comes to me as a surprise, and I am very happy to be recognized for all of my achievements at Illinois Tech. Thank you to all of my teammates for their support, as well as our coaches and staff who have helped me along the way!"
"Reya is incredibly deserving of this award," said Green's coach, Katie Reifert. "She has been a leader and inspiration for her teammates based on her achievements both on and off the court. Reya has been an incredible representative of our program and will continue to excel after Illinois Tech."
A team captain, Green has stood out at Illinois Tech in various ways. On the court, she is viewed as a team leader and received the team's Sportsmanship Award for her dedication and hard work in each of the past two seasons. In the classroom, Green has been named to the Dean's list five straight semesters, is a multiple USCAA All-Academic award recipient, and has embarked on unique research projects such as the Science of Volleyball iPRO and Replication Study of Eskine et al. A Bad Taste in the Mouth. Both research projects were award-winners.
On campus, Green is the elected treasurer for Illinois Tech's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which strives to build unity among student-athletes and the university through service projects, professional development, and school spirit. She has been on the organization's board since 2016, aiding in the various events the group puts on. In addition, she is also the elected treasurer of Order of Omega, a selective Greek Honors Society based on academic achievements.
Green has juggled both leadership roles with volleyball, an active membership in the Kappa Phi Delta sorority, a psychological research assistantship, and a student-worker position in the Keating Sports Center. She also had volunteer her time on various service projects, working with Sarah's Circle, AON Step-Up for Kids, Laurie's Children's Hospital, Share your Soles, Project Graduation, and AID for Women. She also served as a project intern for Adrienne K. King Inc.
Green is a psychology major who plans on continuing her education as an industrial-organizational psychologist. She also later plans to pursue her Ph.D. The Colorado native is the third Illinois Tech athlete to receive the honor, following men's basketball's Vignesh Rajagopal in the winter of 2016 and women's basketball's April Wanagas in the winter of 2017.
This story was originally posted by Illinois Tech Athletics.
