Foecke Named a Finalist for AAU Sullivan Award

ORLANDO, Fla. – After helping her team to an NCAA Volleyball National Championship as a freshman, Nebraska outside hitter Mikaela Foecke (West Point, Iowa) is eyeing yet another esteemed award this spring. Foecke is among the seven finalists vying for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) announced today. Former Husker wrestler Jordan Burroughs is also one of the seven finalists headed to New York in April.

"I want to thank Husker Nation for voting for me,” Foecke said. “I wouldn't be here without all of their support. I'm very excited to be going to New York and be a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award. It's such an honor to be included as one of the finalists with all of those prestigious athletes and some of the top names in sports. It's an honor to be well-respected and thought of in that high of a manner. I also wouldn't be in this position without my parents and their hard work and all that they've done for me."

Foecke was one of the most highly touted volleyball recruits coming out of high school and made an immediate impact this season for the Huskers. She led Nebraska to an NCAA Championship and became just the third freshman to earn NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honors after recording 19 kills on .385 hitting in the championship win against Texas.

Along with an NCAA Championship, Foecke earned AVCA All-America honorable mention, All-North Region First Team and was named National Freshman of the Year by PrepVolleyball.com. She was a unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team selection after averaging 3.09 kills per set with a .277 hitting percentage, including a career-high 22-kill performance at Penn State in October.

Foecke is trying to become the first volleyball athlete in history to claim the AAU Sullivan Award. The only Husker to ever win the award was Rulon Gardner in 2000. Kelsey Robinson was a finalist in 2014.

“Being a finalist for the AAU James E. Sullivan Award is a unique privilege for all our finalists,” said Melissa Willis, AAU Sullivan Award National Chair. “Our seven finalists this year embody the extraordinary success and high character athlete this award was created to honor.”

The AAU Sullivan Award has been presented annually since 1930 to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. Representatives from the AAU created the Sullivan Award with the intent to recognize amateur contributions and achievements from non-professional athletes across the country.

World renowned golfer Robert “Bobby” Jones received the inaugural award in 1930 and swimmer Anne Curtis became the first female to accept the award in 1944. Other notable athletes to win the award include famed Olympians Mark Spitz (1971), Carl Lewis (1981), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1986) and Michael Phelps (2003). Former UCLA basketball star Bill Walton (1973) and University of Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning (1997) have also earned the prestigious honor.

"As one of the largest multi-sport organizations in the nation, this award is really the epitome of what the AAU represents,” said Dr. Roger Goudy, President/CEO of the AAU. "Part of the mission of the AAU is to provide a venue for amateur athletes to promote good sportsmanship and good citizenship. Each of our six finalists – and the winners that came before them – truly embodies that mission.”

Joining Foecke as a finalist for the 86th AAU Sullivan Award are Burroughs, now with USA Wrestling, Derrick Henry (Alabama football), Keenan Reynolds (Navy football), Breanna Stewart (UCONN basketball), Brittan Bowe (US Speed Skating) and Simone Biles (USA Gymnastics).

Voting is open to the public at www.aausullivan.org. Finalist voting opens today and will close on March 23. The AAU James E. Sullivan Award presentation will be held at the New York Athletic Club on Sunday, April 10.