Ad Major

Ad major earns national top scholar-athlete awards

Nancy Meendering Metcalf may be known best for her work on the volleyball court, but she has proved to be just as impressive off the court and in the classroom.

  Metcalf, a native of Hull, Iowa, and a December 2001 graduate of the journalism college, capped her collegiate career with the title of Academic All-American of the Year and was a recipient of the NCAA’s Top VIII Award. Metcalf’s ability to balance her time between academics and athletics allowed her to maintain a 3.81 GPA in advertising and still remain one of Nebraska’s top players.

  While in the classroom, Metcalf focused on her academic experiences. Her adviser and professor Nancy Mitchell said, “Nancy showed dedication on the court, and that transferred to her classroom activities as well. She would use every minute; for example, she would pick up a book and read while waiting for others to hand in an assignment she had already completed.” This dedication was rewarded at the completion of her career at NU with the honor of Academic All-American of the Year.

  Her selection as the Verizon Academic All-American of the Year marks the fourth time in NU volleyball history and the first time since 1991 that an NU player has earned the honor. Over the past 50 years, the Verizon Academic All-American program has become one of the most recognized and prestigious scholar-athlete awards nationwide. The program has been developed to honor student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.

  As impressive as the Verizon award is, Metcalf was also among the recipients of the NCAA Top VIII Awards. She is the third NU volleyball player in school history to receive this honor, joining Janet Krause (1992) and Virginia Stahr (1990). Overall, she is the 14th NU student-athlete to win the Top VIII award.

  Metcalf was honored for her achievements at the 37th annual NCAA Honors Dinner in January, for athletics, academic achievement, character and leadership. “This was a huge honor and definitely unexpected,” she said. “It was my goal to be a first-team Academic All-American, but I never expected to receive these awards. It was a nice reward for the hard work I put in over the last four plus years of classes.”

  In addition to these two honors, Metcalf has achieved many other academic and athletic accomplishments. She trained for the Olympic team while having to redshirt the 2000 season. She is the fourth player in NCAA history to record 1,000 career kills. She was a nominee in 2001 for the Woody Hayes National Scholar-Athlete Award and is an eight-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll member and a four-time highest Honors Academic Medallion winner.

  “I think that being involved in athletics while in school helped me learn to prioritize and get the best use of my time,” says Metcalf. “Knowing that I had to do well in school to be allowed to continue playing was a huge incentive. I had a list every day that I made the night before, telling me what I had to get done. This way, I knew I wouldn’t forget anything.”

  “She had a good grasp of her time management skills, plus she has lots of energy,” Metcalf’s Coach John Cook said. “She isn’t one to waste time,”

  With all of her school and volleyball commitments, Metcalf still managed to find time to help in the community. She was the keynote speaker for NU’s “School is Cool” Jam, preparing and presenting a motivational message to 14,000 middle school youth in the spring of 2001. She also presented to middle school students during Education Week, stressing the importance of education, respect, goal-setting and involvement.

  Metcalf also served as a volunteer for the “I’ve Got Heart Card Series,” where she connected with hospital patients statewide and provided them with encouragement. She was a Red Cross Volunteer, joining other student-athletes to collect donations for the Disaster Relief Fund during the fall of 2001. For Metcalf, community involvement was important because “it was a chance to give something back and hopefully have a positive impact on the kids.”

  “Knowing that athletes are looked up to us as role models (whether they want it or not) always reminded me that I was setting an example.”

  Currently Metcalf is playing volleyball in Puerto Rico and will soon be traveling to Colorado Springs to train with the U.S. National Team. “My goals for the next couple of years include playing professional volleyball overseas and ultimately making the U.S. Olympic Team. I hope to represent my country in Athens, Greece, during the 2004 Olympics,” said Metcalf.

  Following her volleyball career Nancy and her husband hope to settle down in Lincoln where she is interested in working in an advertising field. “I’d like to be the account executive, because I love being able to deal with both co-workers and clients.”

  Maybe that presents the same kind of challenge as juggling volleyball and academics.