FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-047-07-08
Thursday, November 8, 2007

Kelly Downs Named Academic All-District in Volleyball

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College senior middle hitter Kelly Downs (Airville, PA/Red Lion) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first team in volleyball, as voted upon by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and released Thursday.

Downs, a second-team Academic All-American in 2006, is a repeat selection to the District 2 College Division first team and carries a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average as an occupational therapy major with a minor in human services.

Downs became the first Elizabethtown player to earn Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year honors after leading the league in kills per game (3.81), blocks per game (1.30) and hitting percentage (.388) and has set a single-season program record with 491 kills.

She has reached double figures in kills in 30 of 37 matches this season and hit better than .500 in a total of 11 matches as the Blue Jays (31-6 overall) won the first conference championship in program history and qualified for the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 1986.

A four-time All-Conference selection, she is the program's career leader with 1,512 kills and is tied for the school record of 572 blocks originally set by Nancy (Dunmyer) Brady '91 from 1987 to 1990.

Off the court, Downs has been named to the Dean's List every semester, is a Presidential Scholarship recipient and is a member of the Pi Theta Epsilon occupational therapy honor society.

Downs is treasurer of Best Buddies, a student-directed learning community that mentors local residents with intellectual disabilities, and organized a Halloween dance for Special Olympics members. She is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

CoSIDA District 2's College Division consists of all non-NCAA Division I colleges and universities in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.