Sallie McLaurin

Classroom

McLaurin is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 first-team selection and has been named to the OU Dean’s Honor Roll (3.50-3.99 GPA) four times. She has also been named to the OU President’s Honor Roll (4.00 GPA) once, was a five-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection and a five-time Sooner Scholar.

Character

McLaurin is a called one of the most solid, down to earth people who has ever come through the program by her coaches. She has been a silent leader for the last three years. She was encouraged by her coaches to participate in summer activities in 2013 to give her experience as a vocal leader. That change has become evident as preseason drills continue. She came into the Sooner program with raw athletic talent and has proven to be an extremely coachable student-athlete, one who takes instruction and immediately applies it to her game. She has a solid moral compass and is comfortable living with and sharing it. She is recognized by her teammates as a leader of the team and was elected captain of the team as a junior and as a senior. She leads by example and gently helps teammates raise their level of play. She has it all, according to her coaches, as a player, as a student and as a person.

Community

McLaurin was in charge of the volleyball portion of the Champs Camp, worked with at least 40 children for two hours in each session through the 2011 spring break, volunteered at a local elementary school throughout the 2012-13 school year and has already done some work at the school the month of August 2013. She served as a volleyball coach at a foster kids day camp in California, with Sooner Jr, an OU Athletics Department initiative that sends student-athletes into schools and other youth organizations to talk about being healthy, exercise and staying disciplined in school. She worked with special needs kids through the annual Big Event volunteer effort on the OU campus, as a food packer for the homeless at local organization, Feed the Children and at a summer camp in 2013, helping children improve volleyball skills as they grew their relationship with God. She served as an intern with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes over the summer of 2013 and was a coach for children in Sunday school weekly throughout the summer. Also coached on the beach, training them in sand volleyball.

Competition

McLaurin was a unanimous selection to the 2013 All-Big 12 team preseason team, 2012 AVCA third team All-American, 2012 AVCA All-Central Region first team, 2012 All-Big 12 first team, 2011 AVCA honorable mention All-American, 2011 AVCA All-Central Regional honorable mention, 2011 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, 2011 All-Big 12 honorable mention, 2010 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. She has earned Big 12 player of the week honors six times (offense once, 2012; defense twice, 2011; rookie of the week three times in 2010) and has played in 358 of 373 sets in three years, 96% of those played by her Sooner team. Currently ranks among the top six kills in single season she has the top three hitting percentage marks in single season stats. Also among the career leaders in blocks. Also ranked among the top 10 in career stats in hitting percentage and blocks. Called by her coaches “one of the best middles in the Big 12, if not the country.”