RICHMOND — William & Mary volleyball’s Julia Brown and men’s track and field’s Alex Loukili were named Colonial Athletic Association Leadership and Sports Excellence Award winners for the 2021-22 season, the league announced on Tuesday.
The CAA names an award winner every year in each of the 19 Olympic sports that the conference sponsors, in addition to equivalent awards in football (Chuck Boone Leadership Award) and men’s and women’s basketball (Dean Ehlers Leadership Awards). The award is given to the student-athlete who represents the highest standards of teamwork, integrity, leadership, and sportsmanship in his or her academic and athletic achievements. The award is voted on by the Faculty Athletic Representatives at each league institution.
Brown cemented her place as one of the best players in program history. She was a two-time All-CAA First Team and VaSID All-State First Team selection. She finished her career with 366 total blocks, 72 solo blocks, 0.93 blocks per set, all ranking second among all Tribe players in the current scoring format. She also ranks second in W&M history with a .272 career hitting %, fourth with 934 kills, and 10th with 49 service aces.
In 2021, Brown finished with an impressive 3.12 kills per set. The Illinois native’s .334 hitting % was the highest mark by any player in program history under the current scoring format, and she led the team in kills, kills per set, and blocks. Recently, she signed professional with CV Sayre Mayser, which plays in Spain’s top league the Superliga.
Brown, who served as SAAC Community Service Chair and Student-Athlete Services Chair, earned her undergraduate degree in biology from W&M in May of 2021 and is currently pursuing her MBA. She is a four-time W&M Provost Award and was a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection in 2021. Brown was also a candidate for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award, which recognizes a senior or graduate student who excels on and off the court displaying greatness in the classroom and the community.
Loukili earned All-CAA honors this spring as a member of the 4x400m relay, which finished third. He also earned All-East honors, running a leg on the distance medley at the IC4A Indoor Championships, which also finished third. Outdoors, Loukili qualified for the IC4A Championships in the 800m and was a three-time scorer in two CA Championship meets.
In May, Loukili earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance. He was named the W&M President’s Award, which recognizes an individual from each sport who best represents good sportsmanship, citizenship and leadership.
A team captain, Loukili served SAAC as President, Wellness Chair, and Treasurer. He was also Vice President of the Finance Academy, oversaw the operations of LinkedIn networking for W&M student-athletes, and helped relaunch the athletic department’s annual awards event, the Griffy’s.
