Papa becomes the first Cowley recipient of the Betty Jo Graber Award

Awarded annually to the top female student-athlete in the NJCAA who best exhibits hard work, discipline, ethics, and excellence in competition, the Betty Jo Graber Award was recently given to Cowley College volleyball phenom Rosanna Papa.

In conjunction with the David Rowlands Award, the Betty Jo Graber Award was created by the NJCAA in 1992. Graber was an influential leader in the Association and helped pioneer the creation of the Women's Division of the NJCAA in 1975. As the NJCAA Region 5 Women's Director, Graber chaired the Association's women's basketball committee from its inception in 1975 until her retirement in 1991. In addition to her contributions to the NJCAA Board of Directors, Graber helped establish the NJCAA Women's Basketball Coaches Association and was a member of its inaugural Hall of Fame class in 1998.

Also, a member of the National Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Graber was a leader who exhibited dedication, service, and resilience - traits that are recognized annually by the top female student-athlete with the award named in her honor.

As a sophomore at Cowley College Papa was named the NJCAA DII Player of the Year, NJCAA Player of the Tournament, NJCAA First Team All-American twice, AVCA First Team All-American, AVCA Second Team All-American, Volleyballmag.com All-American, Plains A District First Team All-District twice, KJCCC First Team All-Conference twice, KJCCC Most Valuable Player, KJCCC Setter of the Year twice, and KJCCC Setter of the week multiple times.

She led Cowley to a national championship and a perfect 41-0 record. In her career, she only lost one match, the national championship match in 2021. Her career record at Cowley is 82-1.

For her career at Cowley, she recorded 3,075 career assists (second all-time in Cowley history), 180 service aces (all-time Cowley leader), and 565 digs.

"Words cannot fully express the impact Rossana Papa had on our program, Cowley, and our community," Cowley head coach Steven Gream said. "Rossana had a decorated career at Cowley, starting with leading our program to the NJCAA national runner-up finish in 2021 and receiving numerous honors. She promised her teammates that she would not let them go through the pain of losing the championship again and would help them win a championship her sophomore season."

However, Papa got a tough break with a severe season-ending injury but handled it well by studying the game and rehabbing to get back better than ever. In 2023, she was on a mission to keep the promise that she had made in 2021. She kept her promise and helped lead the program to one of the greatest seasons in NJCAA history with a 41-0 record in addition to the championship.

"Coming back from a serious injury and doing the things she did this year, not only with her volleyball skills but her leadership in mentoring our young team, is simply amazing and a gift for any coach and program," Gream said. "She was a big inspiration to our players, who wanted to win the championship for her with all that she had been through. That leadership on the court helped propel us to win this year's championship. Rossana receiving the Betty Jo Graber NJCAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year award is a well-deserved honor for not only her volleyball accomplishments but also for exhibiting the traits of dedication, service, and resilience that the award also represents."

Papa recently signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and volleyball career at NCAA Division I Missouri State University. She is the first student-athlete in Cowley College history to receive the Betty Jo Graber Award.

Papa is only the third Kansas Jayhawk Community College athlete to receive the award. Barton Community College volleyball player Carey Burton won the award in 1992-93 and Butler Community College softball player Brynn Minor won the award in 2016-17.

"I could not be more grateful for this huge honor," Papa said. "I want to thank my teammates, coaches, and staff for helping me to achieve this. I wouldn't be able to get where I am without them. This is a very important reminder for me and future athletes who want to succeed in their sport… Never give up on your dreams and do everything in your power to achieve them."