INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference was proud to announce Hillsdale College junior student-athlete Allyssa Van Wienen (Grand Rapids, MI/Grand Rapids Christian) as the recipient of the 2019-20 Female Athlete of the Year Award on Wednesday afternoon.

Van Wienen, a standout on the volleyball court, was officially selected from a pool of strong applicants following a vote among sports information directors from Great Midwest member institutions. 

The decorated middle hitter has earned First Team All-American and All-Midwest Region honors (by both the AVCA and D2CCA), as well as being named the Great Midwest Volleyball Player of the Year for the 2019 season. She was named the AVCA Division II National Player of the Week (September 7) and was named the G-MAC Offensive Player of the Week a conference record seven times throughout the 2019 season. 

Van Wienen played a key role in guiding the Chargers to a 28-4 record while remaining undefeated in conference play. The Chargers were crowned the 2019 G-MAC tournament champions for the third straight time and reached the Division II Midwest Regional final. It was also the third consecutive national tournament appearance for the Chargers since joining the Great Midwest as a member in 2017. 

Van Wienen has been a major catalyst towards the team's overall success in the league. The Chargers are 81-15 overall for a .844 winning percentage and an even more impressive 46-2 (.958) in three seasons of work under Gravel's direction. 

The junior led the league in hitting percentage (.427), total blocks (117), solo blocks (33) and blocks per set (1.13). Van Wienen ranked second in the conference in points (512) and points per set (4.92), also ranking fourth among all Division II players in points per set.

“I think it’s a well-deserved honor for Allyssa, and the numbers she put up this past year and the accolades she’s received really speak for themselves,” Hillsdale College coach Chris Gravel said. “As talented and skilled as she is individually, she is every bit as good as a leader, and she’s one of the best teammates we have in the program, which is a very important part of what made our team so successful this past season.”

Van Wienen is currently the conference career leader in hitting percentage (.371). She has etched her name into the conference record books in many additional categories including points, points per set, kills per set, total blocks, blocks per set, and solo blocks. 

Heading into her final season as a Charger, Van Wienen has recorded 939 total kills, 261 total blocks, and 67 solo blocks throughout three seasons. 

Van Wienen is the third volleyball student-athlete to receive the conference's annual award since 2012-13, most recently following Paige Vanderwall (2018-19) also of Hillsdale. 

“It’s a great honor for the Hillsdale College volleyball program, to have two different players earn such a prestigious award in back-to-back years,” Gravel said. “It’s a real testament to the character and the ability of the student-athletes that have come through our program, and we as coaches are truly blessed to get to work with people of such a high caliber on a daily basis.”

Other finalists on the ballot for the 2019-20 award included Cedarville's Bex Velloney, Tiffin's Jenna Huffman, Walsh's Andra Lehotay, Findlay's Hanna Cedarholm, Kentucky Wesleyan's Madisyn Hunt, and Malone's Hannah Thompson.