Skelly Earns First Team ESPN Academic All-District

By Sara Elcano, Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University women's soccer player Stephanie Skelly (Jr., MF, Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS) has been named First Team ESPN College Division Academic All-District VIII in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Skelly and other First Team Academic All-District selections are now eligible to be chosen for the ESPN College Division Academic All-America Team, which will be announced later this month.

Skelly leads the Bearcats far this season with 10 goals, ranking her fourth in the Northwest Conference. She is third in the NWC in goals per game (0.56) and is third in the conference in overall scoring with 20 points (two for each goal).

During her career at Willamette, Skelly has scored 18 goals and earned 38 points. Six of her goals have been game-winning goals for the Bearcats.

She was recognized as First Team All-NWC following the 2009 season. The Bearcats also recognized Skelly as the team's Offensive Player of the Year for her efforts as a sophomore in 2009.

Off the field, Skelly has earned a 3.96 cumulative grade point average. She is majoring in Biology. Skelly was named a Martha Springer Scholar at Willamette and has qualified for the honor roll. She has been a participant in the science collaborative research program at WU.

CoSIDA District VIII includes college and universities in the western United States. Players nominated for the ESPN Academic All-District Team were starters or key reserves with cumulative grade point averages of 3.3 or higher (4.0 scale).

Each nominated player was at her current college or university for at least one academic year. The College Division includes players in NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA.

Willamette will close out the regular season with a pair of road games on Friday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 6. The Bearcats will face Pacific Lutheran University on Friday with game time set for 12 p.m. (PDT). The final game of the season will be at Pacific University on Saturday. The game will begin at 11 a.m. (PDT).