Langley Named One Of Eight Recipients Of Academic Momentum Award

OXFORD, Miss. Tara Langley, a senior on the Ole Miss volleyball team, was named as one of eight recipients of the Academic Momentum Award by the National Consortium for Academics and Sports and the Scholar-Baller Program, the organization announced on Wednesday.

Eight women and eight men were selected for the award from the NCAS regions across the country.

“Tara got off to a slow start academically but she learned a lot of the skills to help her succeed academically,” said Karen Schiferl, Associate Athletics Director for Academic Support at Ole Miss. “Once she saw that success, she began to flourish and her self-esteem sky rocketed.

“She has made the Chancellor’s Honor Roll for three straight semesters, and will graduate on time with the plans of pursuing a master’s degree in Communicative Disorders,” Schiferl said. “Tara wants to then use that degree to help other students achieve academic success.”

Langley is slated to graduate in May with a degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Mississippi after earning four letters with the Ole Miss volleyball program. In addition to her academic achievement, Langley, who plays the libero position, is the career record holder for digs (1,377) and also set the single-season mark for digs (633) in 2007 as she helped the Rebels to the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance. Her 633 digs in 2007 made her one of only four players in Southeastern Conference history to break 600 digs in a season.

“Tara did this all through self-motivation,” said Ole Miss Associate Head Coach Molly Alvey. “She took the initiative to really commit to her academic life and made that commitment 100 percent. That simple change and commitment in her life led to a dramatic improvement in her performance in the classroom. It was simply a desire on her own part to make a change in her life.”

The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues.  Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is “to create a better society by focusing on educational attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change.”
 
Established in 1995, the Scholar-Baller movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete’s athletic role increasingly superseded the student role.  In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar-Baller developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes’ passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar-Baller program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.
 
The Academic Momentum Awards will be officially presented on January 28, 2008 at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, FL during the Founder’s Luncheon (11:45-1:45 pm) of the NCAS Annual Conference.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos