AUSTIN, TX – The College Sports Communicators (CSC) announced their Academic All-America volleyball teams on Tuesday, January 9, with Clarion’s Cassidy Snider earning Second Team Academic All-America honors in 2023.
It is Snider’s first career Academic All-America honor.
Student-athletes that earn Academic All-America status are judged not just on their success in athletic competition but also their performance in the classroom. To get on the Academic All-America ballot, a student-athlete must be a sophomore both academically and in terms of academic eligibility; they must have competed in 90 percent of their team’s competitions or started 66 percent of them; they must have a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater; and they must be an outstanding competitor in their sport.
Nominees are vetted through a select committee and then advanced to the Academic All-America ballot.
Snider fit the bill to a T in 2023, ranking among the best volleyball players in NCAA Division II while also achieving in the classroom.
The junior outside hitter was named a Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) First Team All-American, as well as an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Second Team All-America, the two highest athletic honors ever won by a Golden Eagle volleyball player.
The 2023 AVCA and D2CCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year, Snider ranked second in the country in total kills with 601 on the season, a new program record and just five behind the national leader.
Snider ranked fifth in the nation with an average of 4.77 kills per set and hit a career-best .287.
The junior earned PSAC West Athlete of the Year honors after leading the Golden Eagles to a 23-5 overall record and a 13-3 mark in divisional action.
Snider helped Clarion reach their third straight conference championship match and later was the catalyst to the team winning the Atlantic Region championship, the second regional championship in program history.
The Golden Eagles advanced to the NCAA Division II Championship where they fell in the quarterfinal round to national finalist West Texas A&M.
