Kayla Kelly Listed on IWLCA Zag Sports Academic Honor Roll

Kayla Kelly Listed on IWLCA Zag Sports Academic Honor Roll

STANDISH, Maine – The 2019 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Zag Sports Division III Academic Honor Roll has been released and Saint Joseph's College senior Kayla Kelly (York, Maine) has earned recognition.

To be eligible for the national honor, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater. Overall, 653 student-athletes from 173 different institutions have collected IWLCA Zag Sports DIII Academic Honor Roll acclaim.

Kelly, an Exercise Science major, was a two-time All-Conference and three time GNAC All-Academic honoree during her lacrosse career. Also a four-year starter for the Monks' field hockey program, Kelly earned a pair of All-GNAC nods as a sticker and was twice listed on the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Academic Squad. She played an important role in helping Saint Joseph's claim three-consecutive GNAC Championships.

Last spring, Kelly netted 37 goals with four assists, 54 ground balls, 71 draw controls, and 21 caused turnovers while starting all 17 of the Monks' contests. She ranked second in the conference in free-position goals (17), sixth in draw controls, and seventh in ground balls and ranked as the team leader in goals during her senior campaign.

She capped her four-year career with 111 goals, 35 assists, 182 ground balls, 180 draw controls and 67 caused turnovers in 68 games (51 starts). She wraps up her college career ranked second in team history in free-position goals (38), fourth in draw controls, fifth in shots (281) and shots on goal (210), sixth goals, eighth in ground balls and caused turnovers, and ninth in points (146) and assists.

She is one of 16 players from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) to earn the honor and the second in program history to collect the award. Her former teammate, Elyse Caiazzo '18, a two-time honoree, was the first.

Led by 14th-year Head Coach Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's posted perhaps the finest season in program history last fall. With a 19-2 overall record and a 7-0 mark in GNAC play, the Monks claimed their third-consecutive GNAC Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in as many years. Playing at Endicott College in the first round, the Monks suffered a 3-1 season-ending loss.

The 2018 team set new SJC single-season records for wins, goals (95), assists (76), points (266), shots (487), shutouts (13), and goals-against average (0.66) and finished the year as the NCAA DIII leader in assists per game (3.57), penalty corners per game (14.10), points per game (12.62), and scoring margin (3.81). St Joe's also ranked third in the country in goals per game (4.52) and scoring average (4.47), fourth in winning percentage (.905), eighth in save percentage (.841), and ninth in goals-against average (0.66).

 

IWLCA RELEASE

 

#GOMONKS

 

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Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. We are inclusive of all faiths, including no faith. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. A pioneer of distance education since the 1970s, the College also provides online certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees for thousands more working adults who reside in more than 20 other countries. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions within local, regional, and global communities. In 2018, Princeton Review recognized SJC as one of its “Green Colleges” for its sustainability initiatives. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu.