Samantha Seliger-Swenson

Classroom

Samantha Seliger-Swenson is a business and marketing education major. In the summer between her junior and senior seasons, Seliger-Swenson studied abroad in Italy. She was also an academic All-Big Ten selection during her sophomore year.

Character

“Sam is a very accomplished student-athlete and a three-time All-American,” Head Coach Hugh McCutcheon said. “She’s a great teammate and leader. She is the captain of this year’s team and does a phenomenal job running our offense. Her willingness to give to her team goes above and beyond, and she’s been a pivotal part of our program’s development over the past four years.”

Community

During her time at Minnesota, Seliger-Swenson has been involved in a variety of community service events. Along with reading to children in elementary schools, she has also participated in hospital visits at Masonic Children’s Hospital. Seliger-Swenson is a multiple-year volunteer with the HopeKids organization, which gives hope to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and their families. She has volunteered at ACR Homes, an organization that provides residential support services for people with physical and developmental disabilities as well as care for the elderly.

Competition

A four-year starter for the Golden Gophers, Seliger-Swenson is a three-time AVCA All-American setter and two-time Volleyball Magazine All-American. Leading the Gophers to two Final Four appearances and a Sweet 16 berth, Seliger-Swenson was a second-team All-American as a freshman and junior and a first-team All-American as a sophomore. During her sophomore season, she also was named the Big Ten Setter of the Year, becoming Minnesota’s first ever to earn the award. As a rookie in the competitive Big Ten, Seliger-Swenson was named the 2015 Big Ten Freshman of the Year (Minnesota’s first since 1993) and the AVCA North Region Freshman of the Year. A three-time All-Big Ten selection, twice unanimous, she has also been a Preseason All-Big Ten honoree the last three seasons.

Entering her senior year, Seliger-Swenson led the NCAA in career assists (4,416) and assists per set (11.87). During her Gopher career, Seliger-Swenson has been named the Big Ten Setter of the Week 11 times so far in her career and was named Big Ten Rookie of the Week five times. A team captain, Seliger-Swenson is the only senior starter for the Gophers.