Dec. 17, 2008

OMAHA, Neb. --- University of New Mexico outside hitter Jeanne Fairchild has been selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Third Team. The AVCA made the announcement on Wednesday morning with the awards banquet to follow on Friday, Dec. 19 during the NCAA Women's Volleyball National Championship Tournament in Omaha.

"Jeanne is very deserving of this honor," said Lobo head coach Jeff Nelson. "She had a great year and has laid the groundwork for returning this program to the national spotlight. It also is a great honor to her teammates and the continued success of the overall program."

Fairchild, the Mountain West Conference Co-Player of the Year, is the first Lobo volleyball All-American since 1992. She joins an elite group of UNM volleyball All-Americans - Karen Saavedra-Warnock (1988), Maria Gurreri (1990), Pauline Manser (1990 and 1991), and Sharon Browning (1992). Gurreri (2008) and Manser (2007) were recently inducted into the UNM Athletic Hall of Honor.

The senior from Albuquerque, N.M. is ranked third in the nation in kills per set at 4.81 and led the MWC all season in the category. Fairchild also led the league in points per set with 5.12 and is ranked 12th in hitting percentage at .297. In just her third season with the Lobos, Fairchild cracked the 1,000-career kills mark and finished her Lobo career ranked third on the UNM all-time career kills list with 1,238.

Fairchild became the first Lobo to be a repeat all-MWC selection in 2008. Last season, Fairchild joined Anna Reines (2002) as the only Lobo to receive all-MWC honors from the young league. Fairchild was also the first Lobo to repeat as an MWC Player of the Week, receiving the honor three times in 2008 and once in 2006. Fairchild was named to four all-tournament teams this season - MCM Elegante Lobo Classic, George Mason Patriot Invitational (MVP), Nebraska Ameritas Players Challenge, and UTA Holiday Inn Invitational. Fairchild also was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VI Second Team this season for her work in the classroom. The league has also recognized Fairchild's academic prowess with MWC Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-MWC honors in 2006 and 2007.

The Lobos finished the 2008 season with a 22-7 overall record and an 11-5 record in MWC action, placing third in league standings.