Nolan named ISU female athlete of the year

AMES, Iowa – Caitlin Nolan was the best libero in NCAA Volleyball in 2015, continuing Iowa State’s tradition of producing some of the nation’s best defensive players. A career full of awards, including two AVCA All-America honors, two All-Big 12 First Team nods, two Big 12 Libero of the Year awards and seven Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week wins got an addition Thursday when Nolan was named Iowa State’s Female Athlete of the Year. 

Nolan is the fifth Cyclone volleyball player to be named Iowa State’s Female Athlete of the Year, and first since the 2008-09 athletics year when Kaylee Manns earned the honor. 

A May graduate of Iowa State, Nolan followed up a 2014 season in which she earned Third Team All-America honors with another elite season. The Southlake, Texas native set a Big 12 record and ranked fifth in the NCAA with 5.78 digs per set. Nolan’s 618 digs on the season was the third-most in Iowa State history, and she became the third player (Kristen Hahn and Step McCannon) to have multiple 600-dig seasons in her Iowa State career.

Nolan had eight of the 14 highest single-match dig totals in the Big 12 in 2015. Nolan had 15 matches with at least 20 digs and four matches with at least 30 digs on the season, and was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week three times.

Nolan is currently in the process of trying out for the USA Volleyball National Team, with the aim of being on the 12-person roster for the Pan American Cup in July. This fall, Nolan will embark on her coaching career, going to work as a graduate assistant at SMU in Dallas.

Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year Winners

1980 Mary Seybold Track & Field

1981 Debbie Vetter Track & Field

1982 Annette Ackerson Swimming

1983 Tanya Roach Swimming

1984 Diane Doles Volleyball

1985 Tonya Burns Basketball

1986 Jane Lobenstein Basketball

1987 Nawal El Moutawakel Track & Field

1988 Linda Evans Volleyball

1989 Carmen Jaspers Basketball

1990 Jennie Condon Softball

1991 Jennifer Adams-Keitges Swimming

1992 Edith Nakiyingi Track & Field

1993 Karen Glerum Track & Field

1994 Melanie Young Basketball

1995 Kary Law Volleyball

1996 Beth Bader Golf

1997 Kim Mazza Gymnastics

1998 Stacy Frese Basketball

1999 Stacy Frese Basketball

2000 Stacy Frese Basketball

2001 Megan Taylor Basketball

2002 Angie Welle Basketball

         Gina Curtis-Rickert Track & Field

2003 Gina Curtis-Rickert Track & Field

2004 Janet Anson Gymnastics

2005 Anne O’Neil Basketball

2006 Janet Anson Gymnastics

2007 Lyndsey Medders Basketball

2008 Lisa Koll Track/Cross Country

2009 Kaylee Manns Volleyball

2010 Lisa Koll Track/Cross Country

2011 Kelsey Bolte Basketball

2012 Betsy Saina Track/Cross Country

2013 Betsy Saina Track/Cross Country

2014 Christina Hillman Track & Field

2015 Chonlada Chayanun Golf

2016 Caitlin Nolan Volleyball

Jared Stansbury

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Jared a native of Clarinda, Iowa, started as the Cyclone Fanatic intern in August 2013, primarily working as a videographer until starting on the women’s basketball beat prior to the 2014-15 season. Upon earning his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Iowa State in May 2016, Jared was hired as the site’s full-time staff writer, taking over as the primary day-to-day reporter on football and men’s basketball. He was elevated to the position of managing editor in January 2020. He is a regular contributor on 1460 KXNO in Des Moines and makes regular guest appearances on radio stations across the Midwest. Jared resides in Ankeny with his four-year-old puggle, Lolo.

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