CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 24 Illinois volleyball redshirt-junior Diana Brown and graduate student Megan Cooney garnered Academic All-District honors for district 5, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced on Thursday (November 18). It is the second-straight first-team accolade for Brown, who also earned the honor following the 2020-21 season, with Cooney collecting second-team honors for the first time in her career.
The honor, which is selected by CoSIDA members, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Brown now advances to the Academic All-America team ballot as a first-team selection.
It is the first time since 2018 that the Illini have had multiple Academic All-District honors with former greats Jordyn Poulter and Ali Bastianelli named to the first- and second-teams, respectively.
Brown owns a 4.00 GPA in molecular and cellular biology, while Cooney registered a 3.46 undergraduate GPA after earning a bachelor's degree in speech and hearing science in May and currently owns a 4.00 GPA in her speech and hearing science graduate program.
The duo has started all 27 matches for the Illini, with Brown dishing out 1,036 assists for a 10.06 assists per set mark, while directing the Illini to a .217 team hitting percentage She paces the team with 13 double-doubles, ranking second in digs (244) and fourth in blocks (60) on the team. She is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
The 'Iron Woman' of the Illini, Cooney recently became the program's career sets played leader and has played in 533 sets in her career at Illinois, playing in 141 of 145 matches in her five year. She ranks second on the team with 303 kills for a 2.94 kill per set on a .253 hitting percentage, while also ranking third on the team in digs (239), blocks (72) and service aces (28). A 2020-21 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and three-time Academic All-Big Ten, Cooney was named All-Big Ten Second-Team a season ago.
Brown, Cooney and the Illini return to action this weekend as they travel to Bloomington, Ind., for a 6 p.m. CT match on Friday (November 19) against Indiana, before returning to Huff Hall for Senior Day 2021 on Sunday (November 21) against Maryland at 12 p.m. CT.
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