The AVCA Diversity Development Team is proud to announce the winner of the 2024 AVCA Volleydictorian Award to Larry Wrather, head men’s volleyball coach, Fort Valley State University.
Serving as the FVSU women’s volleyball and men’s volleyball coach until recently, Larry has elevated Wildcat volleyball to new heights. In 2024, the men’s team made history by becoming the first program of a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) to complete in the NCAA Men’s National Collegiate Championship against the powerhouse UCLA Bruins on April 30 at championship host site, Long Beach State University.
This historic moment came on the heels of his team winning the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) championship in a sweep over Central State. The win earned the Wildcats the first-ever automatic qualifier bid for the program and for the SIAC.
Coach Wrather was selected to lead the women’s program and the newly minted men’s volleyball team in August 2020. He came to the Wildcats after two years as an assistant coach with the University of Charleston (WV) men’s program.
As a player, Wrather played for Ball State University from 2010-14. He helped the Cardinals to a four-year record of 74-42 (.638) and powered over 747 kills in 357 sets from his outside hitter position. Wrather led Ball State in kills and kills per game both his sophomore (250 kills/2.63 k/gm) and junior (226 kills/2.51 k/gm).
Wrather started his career in the Muncie, Ind., area, while he was still in college. He served on local high school, Burris Laboratory School’s girls’ volleyball varsity team staff, where the team posted a 39-0 record, won a state championship and finished as national runner-ups. Wrather led the school’s junior varsity team the following year, before he headed to the University of Charleston the past two seasons.
The volleyball bloodlines run deep in the family as Wrather’s wife, Hannah, was a four-year member of fellow Mid-American Conference Ohio University’s women’s volleyball team.
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The AVCA Diversity Development Team accepted a recommendation in 2020 to create the AVCA Volleydictorian Award. The Award is presented annually and recognizes an alumnus of the AVCA Diversity Award program that represents the spirit of the program and embodies leadership in the sport of volleyball, on and off the court. Turning a moment into a movement! #BeAMovement
Special thanks to Baden Sports for their support of the AVCA Diversity Development Team and this award.
Past Winners:
2021 – Phil Evans, AVCA Diversity Award, Class of ’20
2022 – Dr. Anitra Brockman, AVCA Diversity Award, Class of ’20
2023 – Thais Baziquetto-Allen, AVCA Diversity Award, Class of ’20
The AVCA Diversity Development Team serves in an advisory role for the AVCA’s coach development and diversity initiatives including selecting award recipients and developing programming for the AVCA Diversity Awards.
