Greenville, SC – The NCCAA is pleased to recognize Katelyn Crosby of Randall University as the 2024 Dr. Vickie Grooms Denny Award Recipient for Division II Women’s Volleyball.

Senior Katelyn Crosby has improved each season from her middle blocker position at Randall, earning NCCAA DII Women’s Volleyball First Team All-American and All-Tournament Team honors in 2023. Over the last two seasons, Crosby has seen herself ranked in the top 10 in the NCCAA for hitting percentage, aces, points, and blocking. In 2024, Crosby has highlighted her strong play with a hitting percentage above .300. Early in her career Crosby earned a multitude of honors as well, being named Randall’s Newcomer of the Year in 2021-22 and the schools Offensive Player of the Year in 2022-23. 
 
Looking back on all the honors, Crosby has seen how God has molded her career at Randall after almost never attending the school. Coming from one of the largest public high schools in the state of Idaho, Crosby was seeking a closer relationship with God going into her college experience. Not knowing how to find that, she googled “top ten Christian volleyball colleges,” and Randall was ranked fifth. Crosby was then intrigued by the thought of “who names a college Randall.” After much research, Crosby knew that God was calling her to continue her education and volleyball career at the school. 
 
Since arriving on campus, Crosby has grown in her faith which has resulted in her serving in a variety of ways. Crosby is a Residential Assistant at Randall and serves in her church teaching kids programs, working nursery, helping with the youth group weekly, and doing photography at church events. She has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA as a psychology and ministry student and leads by example daily in all her responsibilities. 
 
“Katelyn came to us on a chance visit after visiting another school in Texas,” stated Randall Head Women’s Volleyball Coach Mike Freeman. “Since she has been at Randall, several professors and administrators know Katelyn as someone willing to help in any way she can. She is the first to volunteer to pray before and after matches as well as team meals. Katelyn loves Jesus as much as anyone I’ve ever met. She has a very bright future ahead of her because of the focus she already has at such a young age.” 
 
Other Finalists
Elizabeth Deaton, Spurgeon College
Arianna Hernandez, Union Adventist University
Sadie Long, Faith Baptist Bible College
Eden Swihart, Bob Jones University
Celeste Touchstone, Barclay College
 
Award Description
As the head coach at Maranatha Baptist College, Clearwater Christian College, and Bob Jones University, Dr. Vickie Grooms Denny teams have won 20 NCCAA National Championships. An inductee into the NCCAA Hall of Fame (2005), she has served as NCCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Chair, member President, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Overshadowing her many accomplishments, it is her pursuit of excellence on and off the court as a reflection of Jesus Christ that stands above the wins.
 
 

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