STANFORD, Calif. – Redshirt senior middle blocker Inky Ajanaku was one of 30 NCAA women's volleyball student-athletes selected as a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award® it was announced Thursday.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship in December.
Stanford has done well recently as far as the Senior CLASS Award is concerned. Last season, Jordan Burgess was named a Senior CLASS Award First Team All-American in addition to being selected as the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ajanaku received her undergraduate degree in human biology last winter and is working towards a master's in biology this fall. She is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention selection. She started working in a stem cell research lab on campus over the summer and continues to conduct research there this fall. After volleyball, she hopes to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon.
"Inky is an extraordinary student-athlete, a tremendous leader and is very charismatic," said head coach John Dunning. "She has overcome adversity, fighting through a very serious injury last year. She has grown as a teammate and person. She has always been an inspiration to the people around her, including her teammates. She is a wonderful leader on our team and always has been."
Along with her teammates, Ajanaku has participated in several clinics for middle school kids, talking about college, teaching volleyball and motivating students to stay fit and succeed in school. She has volunteered at a homeless shelter by helping landscape and garden to provide fresh produce. The team has continued its relationship with Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, visiting several times to brighten sick children's days with game and arts and crafts. Ajanaku has also volunteered at a beach cleanup day in Half Moon Bay, California, and has participated with the Wender Weis Foundation's Children's Champions event to promote fitness for at-risk kids.
During her career, Ajanaku has been named the Volleyball Magazine National Player of the Year in 2014 and a two-time AVCA First Team All-American. She also earned 2012 AVCA All-America honorable mention honors, has been selected an AVCA All-Region pick three times and is a three-time All-Pac-12 Conference honoree. A two-time AVCA National Player of the Week, Ajanaku has racked up four Pac-12 weekly awards and two Pac-12 freshman of the week honors.
This season, Ajanaku was named Preseason All-Pac-12 Conference for the third time in her career. She leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally with 1.59 blocks per set. Her .382 hitting percentage is fourth in the Pac-12. She recently moved into fifth place on Stanford's career blocks list with 527.
Ajanaku and the 12th-ranked Cardinal play at home this weekend, hosting Arizona on Friday, Oct. 14 at 8 p.m. on Pac-12 Bay Area and Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m.