Berkley Whaley Earns SSC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Year Honors
Whaley is just the second student-athlete to earn both Scholar-Athlete and Athlete of the Year honors, joining Florida Southern College's Megan Brown (2006-07) as the only other athlete to take home both awards in the same year.
MELBOURNE, Fla. - University of Tampa senior outside hitter Berkley Whaley has been named the 2015-16 Sunshine State Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year.
Whaley repeats as the SSC Female Athlete of the Year. The St. Petersburg, Florida native led the 2015 Tampa Spartans to a 15-1 league record, 37-6 overall record, and the program's 11th consecutive conference championship.
A five-time SSC Player of the Week in 2015, she was named Co-SSC Player of the Year by league head coaches. Whaley joined Cindy Yuan (Barry, 1996-98) as the only athletes awarded SSC Volleyball Player of the Year three times.
With her efforts on the court, she earned National Player of the Year honors from the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA). Both the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and D2CCA named Whaley a First-Team All-American.
Whaley is the third student-athlete to repeat as SSC Female Athlete of the Year*. She is also the third to win Female Athlete of the Year and Female Scholar-Athlete in the same year**. Whaley joins Charlotte Campbell as the only SSC student-athletes in history, male or female, to win Athlete of the Year twice and also win Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
In 2015, Whaley was honored as the Capital One Academic All-American of the Year and a First Team Academic All-American. The Advertising and Public Relations major posted a 4.0 grade point average for her second straight Fall semester on the way to earning SSC Commissioner's Honor Roll for a third consecutive year.
On campus and in the community, the perennial All-American remains active. Beyond her membership in the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society, Whaley volunteers her time with Komen for a Cure. She has also donated her time with the Westminster Palms assisted Living Home, Jingle Bell Arthritis Run, St. Peter Claver tutor for students, and Bay Point Elementary.
Whaley is the fourth Tampa student-athlete to be selected as SSC Female Athlete of the Year since the award was created in 1987-88***. She becomes the second Tampa student-athlete to be honored as the Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Dawn Rawlins won the award in 1996-97 and again in 1998-99.
*Sandra Changkija, Nova Southeastern (2009-10 & 2010-11) and Charlotte Campbell, Rollins (2002-03 & 2003-04).
**Megan Brown, Florida Southern (2006-07) and Charlotte Campbell, Rollins (2003-04).
*** Danielle Selkridge (2012-13), Shannon Aitken (2007-08), and Danielle Faggion (1999-00)
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