OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – South Dakota senior libero Anne Rasmussen has been selected as one of 30 candidates, who excel both on and off the court, for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate volleyball.
 
Rasmussen is the lone Summit League athlete selected among the 30 candidates which includes four from last season's national champion Stanford.
 
Rasmussen, the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year in 2018, is currently sitting atop the Summit League in digs per set (4.71). She enters Friday's home match with Omaha sitting third on the school's career digs list with 1,623, which is good for 15^th all-time in Summit League history.
 
"I am so excited for Anne to be selected as one of the 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award," coach Leanne Williamson said. "Anne has been someone who has excelled in every area of being a student-athlete. She has been a dominant part of the Coyote volleyball team, earning Summit League Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2018. She has set the standard in our gym of what effort looks like every day.
 
"In addition, she has handled the stress of being a student-athlete extremely well, maintaining a 3.933 CUM GPA through her time here. She has been such a great role model for young kids and players within our own gym. I am proud of what she has accomplished up to this point, and am excited to see what else she will accomplish during her time here at the University of South Dakota!"
 
Off the court, the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, native is a member of the school's Student Athlete Advisory Committee and helps, along with the volleyball team, at the Ronald McDonald House in Sioux Falls.
 
"Anne epitomizes what it means to be a student-athlete," Athletic Director David Herbster said. "Seeing her name as a candidate for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award is not a surprise and she is very deserving of the honor."
 
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
 
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 
 
The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.