Randolph-Macon senior Kelly Williams (Garysburg, N.C./Halifax Academy) has been selected from across the country as one of ten Division III Women's Basketball finalists for the Jostens Trophy. The Jostens Trophy is awarded to the outstanding NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball players who excel on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
Williams is a leader amongst her peers for her excellent work in all three phases of student-athlete life: on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
On the court, Williams was selected as the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Player of Year as well as the ODAC Tournament MVP. She led the conference in scoring and rebounding this season and ranks third in the nation for total double-doubles with 20. Williams is the ODAC's top career rebounder and is second in R-MC program history for scoring.
In the classroom, Williams is an accounting and computer science double major. She has been on the Dean's List each semester and received the prestigious Douglas W. Foard Freshman and C. Lyndon Harrell sophomore awards from national honor society Phi Beta Kappa. She is a three-time Academic All-ODAC selectee and was named an Academic All-American and All-District team member by CoSIDA as a sophomore and an Academic All-District team member for this year.
In the community, Williams is a statistics tutor and a peer academic coach for the Higgins Academic Center at Randolph-Macon and also mentors at a local elementary school.
A Randolph-Macon Yellow Jacket has won the award before. Megan Silva (Schultz) earned the honor in her senior season in 2006. Silva maintains the ODAC and school record for most points in a career as well as for assists and steals.
The Jostens Trophy is a national award created by the Rotary Club of Salem to honor the most outstanding men's and women's NCAA Division III basketball players of the year. The trophy models the Rotary International motto of "Service Above Self" by recognizing those who truly fit the ideal of the well-rounded NCAA Division III student-athlete. This year's class marks the 23rd year the awards have been presented.
The Rotary Club of Salem is responsible for the initial review of nominations and narrowed the collection of candidates over the past two weeks. The Club's Jostens Trophy Committee employs a numerical rating system in determining the lists of finalists. The system ensures an objective process thru the first round of vetting. The 20 finalists continue through the review process, with a national selection committee of 30 or more individuals charged with determining the two winners of the 2020 Jostens Trophy honors. The award winners will be announced on Thursday, March 26.
