May 21, 2009

COLUMBIA, Mo - Freshman Annie Lopez has just finished her first year as a member of the Mizzou Volleyball team, and one thing is certain, the defensive specialist from St. Louis is a student first and was recently named to the Omicron Delta Kappa list of top freshmen at the University of Missouri.

Only the best 14 students in their first year of college are selected to the group and Lopez had no idea at the time that one of her fellow teammates believed she had the credentials to make the group. "I received an email one day and found out I had been selected a finalist for the award, and that Lei (Wang) had nominated me," Lopez said. "I was honored that one of my teammates would think so highly of me."

Getting nominated was the first step, but it was far from the last, as Lopez would need to write an essay and submit a resume to make it to round two. She made it to round two, which consisted of an hour-long interview where she, and 20 other people, would be asked questions about themselves and any obstacles they've overcome in their lifetime.

Soon after she completed the entire application process, Lopez received word that she had been selected as one of the 14 Omicron Delta Kappa honorees for the 2009 class. "This is quite an honor for me, especially with how difficult it is to be both a student and an athlete," she said. "I never thought I'd be recognized for an award like this."

Lopez' current major is Textile Apparel Management with minors in Spanish and possibly Business. "I've always had an interest in fashion and traveling, so I was lucky to find a major that would combine the two things I'm most interested in."

Crediting the discipline she receives from playing volleyball, Lopez says she knows that there is a time to work on her game, and time to get her work done as well. "It's tough, but when you're on the court that's what you focus on, but when practice is over, you have to treat studying the same way," she said.

Fortunately, Lopez is able to get help from Missouri Athletics, as she has access to some of the best academic specialists in the country. "There are so many tools that we have to succeed here, it would be crazy not to use them," Lopez said. But Lopez also believes that it's up to the individual to take responsibility of being a good student as well.

Lopez accredits the team for helping her through the first year of her college career, and the work ethic that the team instills as a whole will go a long way in her life beyond volleyball. "Our team does a great job of instilling that discipline in you, to where we all want to succeed and be the best people we can," she said.