LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (Nov. 7, 2023) – Junior
Analise Kusleika (Upland, Calif. / Claremont) of the Whittier College women's volleyball team has been named as the recipient of the 2023 SCIAC Character Award.
The SCIAC Character Award is equal parts a sportsmanship award, and an award that recognizes service to the community.
The older Kusleika sister has made significant contributions representing her school and serving the local communities. In addition to being a force in the middle for the SCIAC Postseason Tournament-bound Poets, she also serves as a team captain and is Co-President of the Poet Student-Athletes Leadership Academy (PSALA). However, her service to Whittier College extends beyond these duties, as she also sits in the college Senate as the athletics department representative. Kusleika is as big of an advocate for athletics at Whittier College as anyone, and is also interning within the athletic department, where her emphasis lies on improving relations between faculty and the general student population.
On the court, Kusleika played a pivotal role in the Poets' huge 2023 as a rotational piece in the middle of Head Coach
Chris Duarte-McDermott's system. She logged 70 kills this season to go with five solo blocks and 46 assisted blocks. She even had the game-winning kill against Pomona-Pitzer that gave Whittier a much-needed 3-0 victory on
Senior Night, and should continue to be a factor for Whittier, both on and off the court, for the foreseeable future. Kusleika was not the only Poet recognized by the SCIAC, however.
Click here to read more about Whittier's 2023 All-SCIAC recipients.
Kusleika and the Poets are currently in preparations for their SCIAC Postseason Tournament semifinal game, which will come at No. 8 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m.
Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!
