Garlington Earns Marlene Mawson Award

Jan. 24, 2011

LAWRENCE, Kan. –

Kansas volleyball senior Karina Garlington has been named the recipient of this year’s Marlene Mawson Female Athlete of the Year award, it was announced Sunday by Kansas Athletics.

Garlington was a four-year starter for the Jayhawks from 2007-10 and left the program as one of the top outside hitters in program history. Her 1,309 career kills are the second-most in Kansas volleyball history, while her 3.18 career kills per set average ranks seventh. This past season, Garlington collected 407 kills, which were the eighth-most kills in a Jayhawk single season, and was the team’s top offensive producer in 20 matches. She also ranked seventh among Big 12 volleyball players with 3.51 kills per set for the season. She owns additional top 10 single-season records for her 3.66 kills per set and 1,116 total attempts in 2008, the same year she became just the second Jayhawk in program history to be named AVCA National Player of the Week while also garnering Big 12 Player of the Week accolades.

Not only did Garlington excel on the court, but she was just as driven and successful in the classroom. A sports management major with a career grade point average of 3.79, Garlington made the Academic All-Big 12 First Team three times and in 2010 she was recognized as an ESPN Academic All-District honoree for the second time in her career. Furthermore, she was also named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s and Athletics Director’s Honor Rolls every semester at Kansas.

Despite her busy schedule of practice, games and class, Garlington found time to contribute to her community as well, participating in events such as Habitat for Humanity, Jubilee Café, Special Olympics and Jayhawk volleyball clinics and camps.

The Marlene Mawson Award is presented to a senior female athlete who has played an integral role on her respective team and has maintained a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. The student-athlete must also have competitive ideals which have been demonstrated through her behavior during her collegiate athletics career and also have demonstrated leadership qualities, either within athletics or in other campus activities.

In 1968, Marlene Mawson started the “extramural” women’s sports program on the campus of the University of Kansas. Dr. Mawson was a full-time professor of physical education, but dedicated the majority of her spare time volunteering as the coach of the women’s field hockey, basketball, softball and volleyball teams.