NEW ULM, Minn. - Martin Luther College senior student-athlete Kira Grev was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Female Scholar-Athlete Leadership Award on Wednesday.

The award is meant to recognize athletes in the UMAC who best showcase the ability to excel in academics, leadership, and service as a participant in athletics. One male and female finalist is chosen from all nine UMAC schools, and two winners (one male, one female) are chosen from that group of finalists. 

Grev received the honor after finishing a historic four-year volleyball career. On the court, Grev finished among the program's all-time leaders in career kills (1,169), kills per set (2.76), attack attempts (3,830) and digs (1,070). During her senior season, Grev became just the 10th player in program history to record at least 1,000 career kills and digs, and earned her fourth First Team All-UMAC honor as an outside hitter.

Grev's leadership was recognized early in her career as she was voted captain in each of her four seasons with the program, helping the Knights to four straight appearances in the UMAC Postseason Tournament. Over the course of her career, Grev and the Knights won 45 matches and finished with a record of 27-19 in UMAC play. 

Off the court, Grev is a four-time Academic All-UMAC honoree with a career 3.98 grade point average. She served a role in her community as a math tutor on campus, and also worked with young volleyball players at the elementary and high school levels. 

"Kira exemplifies everything this award stands for and is very deserving of this honor," MLC Director of Athletics Jim Unke said. "We are very proud to have Kira as a representative of Martin Luther College and MLC athletics."

Grev is the third MLC student-athlete to receive this honor in the last decade. Nathan Nass was the male recipient of the award in 2008, while April Cook was the female recipient in 2011. 

To read the story from the UMAC website, click here.