Winless in the Big East and just 9-14 overall, the St. John’s volleyball team finally received some good news when senior middle hitter Darlene Ramdin was named one of the ten finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
The Lowe’s Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award is awarded to a NCAA Division 1 senior student-athlete who excels the classroom, community, character and competition.
Lowe’s will announce the winner of the finalists during the 2011 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball championship, which will run from Dec. 15 to 17.
“She’s really a good mentor to her younger teammates,” said Red Storm volleyball coach Joanne Persico about her player. “I think Darlene has great qualities that her mom instilled in her when she was little, I know she’s a very spiritual woman, and I think that’s why she has a great core of characteristics that not every athlete possesses.”
Off the court, Ramdin is a communications arts major and three-time Big East Academic All-Star, who has a 3.39 GPA. On the court the 6-foot-2 middle hitter leads the Red Storm in almost all statistical categories, ranks sixth all-time in Red Storm history with 1,135 kills, and ranks fourth all-time with 355 blocks.
Ramdin is also an active member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, which is an organization that serves as the voice for all St. John’s athletes, and partakes in various community activities such as the Long Island Miracle League, Relay for Life, Midnight Run, and the Ronald McDonald House charities.
“I feel very honored,” said Ramdin. She added that education is important because “Without academics I wouldn’t be at college. Even though volleyball has me here I have to have good grades in order to keep my scholarship.”
From now until Nov. 21, students and fans can vote for Ramdin or the other finalists on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website or on the Facebook page dedicated to the award.