Air Force Academy

June 24, 2004

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Air Force senior volleyball player Delavane Diaz (Tampa, Fla.) was selected as the 2003-04 Mountain West Conference Female Student-Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced today (June 24). Diaz will be awarded a postgraduate scholarship in recognition of her achievements.

Established by the Mountain West Conference Joint Council in 1999, the Student-Athlete of the Year award is the highest honor presented to a student-athlete by the conference. The award is bestowed annually to the man and woman who best exemplify the term "student-athlete" by achieving excellence in academics, community involvement and athletics. Criteria for the Student-Athlete of the Year award require that nominees demonstrate leadership, character and conduct on and off the playing field. In addition to superior athletic achievement, candidates must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average and be in their final year of eligibility in any NCAA-recognized sport.

Diaz, a 2004 Rhodes Scholar, graduated with distinction and a 3.83 GPA in astronautical engineering. Ranked 15th in a graduating class of 1,010 cadets, she was a four-time Academic All-Conference honoree and earned Academic All-America honors in 2003. She was a four-year letterwinner in the volleyball program and a three-time team MVP. Diaz set numerous program and conference records, including the all-time MWC leader for kills per game. With a program and conference record 41 kills against Southern Mississippi, Diaz was ranked 10th nationally. A recipient of the 2004 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Diaz was named to the dean's list eight times and named to the commandant's list (which designates excellence in military performance) seven times. In addition, Diaz was selected as a Wing Commander, which is the highest leadership position that a cadet can hold, and served as the Group Honor Chair for the Executive Honor Committee.

It is the second straight year that a cadet has been honored with the prestigious award. Last year, swimmer John Dayton was named the 2002-03 MWC Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Diaz shares this year's honor with Sean Murray of New Mexico, who was named the conference's Male Student-Athlete of the Year.