University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Olivia Babcock Named an AAU Sullivan Award Finalist
2/20/2026 9:57:00 AM | Volleyball
PITTSBURGH - Reigning two-time AVCA National Player of the Year Olivia Babcock has been named a finalist for the AAU Sullivan Award following another standout season in 2025. Presented annually since 1930, the AAU Sullivan Award honors the most outstanding collegiate, Olympic or similarly elite athlete in the United States. The award is named in tribute to James E. Sullivan, founder and past president of the Amateur Athletic Union and a pioneer in amateur sports. Babcock previously earned semifinalist recognition following her sophomore campaign.
Public voting to determine the finalists starts on Tuesday, February 24 at 10 a.m. and will end March 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Babcock joins an elite group of finalists, alongside standout athletes such as Fernando Mendoza, Cameron Boozer, Ilia Malinin, Ilona Maher, Azzi Fudd and Alysa Liu.
The top finalists will be honored at the award ceremony on Tuesday, April 7 at the historic New York Athletic Club. Babcock looks to become the fourth volleyball player to win the AAU Sullivan Award, joining Lexi Rodriguez (Nebraska, 2025) Kathryn Plummer (Stanford, 2018) and Lauren Carlini (Wisconsin, 2016).
Babcock adds the AAU Sullivan Award finalist honor to her extensive resume. She is the 2024 and 2025 AVCA National Player of the Year, ACC Player of the Year, AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year and two-time reigning CWSA Honda Award winner for volleyball.
A cornerstone of the Pitt offense, Babcock has helped lead the Panthers to a National Semifinal appearance in each of her three seasons and has been named the Pittsburgh Regional Most Outstanding Player every year. During another record-breaking campaign in 2025, she set the program's single-match kills record twice — first with 41 in a five-set victory over Louisville and again with 45 against North Carolina. She also totaled 646 kills on the season, breaking the single-season program record of 555 set by Forever Panther Wendy Hatlestad in 2003.
