Casey Kelly claims United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America

UNITED SOCCER COACHES SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA RELEASE

NEWPORT, R.I. (December 18, 2019) - Salve Regina University junior back Casey Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.) has been named to the United Soccer Coaches Men's NCAA Division III Scholar All-America Second Team, as announced by the organization earlier today. Kelly also received United Soccer Coaches Men's NCAA Division III Scholar All-East Region First Team accolades earlier this week.

To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must be nominated by his head coach and meet the following criteria: (1) Have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his career; (2) Start more than 50 percent of all games and be an elite player as supported by playing honors (i.e., all-conference) or contributions to the success of his team; (3) Plays for a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member institution; (4) Be a junior or above in athletic standing at the current institution and be in his second year at the current institution if a transfer student.

Kelly is now the second Scholar All-America in men's soccer program history joining Jordan Elster '19 who also earned the accolade during his junior season. Kelly was also selected to the All-New England First Team for on field play along with teammate Evan MacDonald (Candia, N.H.). The senior midfielder later earned All-America honors. Seahawk head coach Craig O'Rourke II now has four All-America honorees in the past three seasons - Elster (2017), Donald Igo (2018), Kelly and MacDonald (2019). Kelly's qualifications were bolstered when he was named the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Defensive Player of the Year, before he and his teammates captured the CCC Tournament Title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships.

"(Casey) has been a quintessential part of our starting eleven ever since he first arrived here in Newport back in 2017," says an elated O'Rourke. "This is a tribute to his commitment and dedication as a student-athlete, both on the field and in the classroom. He is nothing short of stellar for us and our entire roster knows how much time he puts into both his studies and his off-season training. The only thing that can really match, or perhaps even surpass, his academic and athletic prowess is the degree of maturity and leadership that he brings to the table for our program."

Student-athletes on this year's Scholar All-America Teams will be formally acknowledged for their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom at the All-America Ceremony & Reception on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 at the Baltimore Convention Center in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention.