March 20, 2009

YORK, PA – York College senior point guard Keli Ward (Nottingham, Pa./Oxford) has been named a WBCA/State Farm First-Team All-American as announced on Friday morning. Ward becomes the first Spartan in the history of the women’s basketball program to earn All-American accolades.

Ward’s 2008-09 season ranks as the greatest individual season in the annals of Spartan history. Ward finished the campaign averaging 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 2.8 steals per game. She shot 51.3% from the floor, 39.8% from three, and 83.8% from the charity stripe.  Ward finished the year with 214 assists and just 73 turnovers as she was York’s primary ball handler all season.

Ward, the Capital Athletic Conference Player-of-the-Year, led the conference in scoring, assists, steals, and assist to turnover ratio. She also ranked second in three point field goal percentage, third in free throw percentage, fifth in field goal percentage, eighth in rebounding, ninth in three point field goals made and 14th in blocked shots.

She currently ranks second in NCAA Division III in assists per game and sixth in assist to turnover ratio. She also ranks in the top 100 in the nation in field goal percentage (47th), free throw percentage (55th), and steals per game (82nd).

Spartan head coach Betsy Witman is thrilled to have Ward be her first All-American.

“Keli has had an amazing career and begin an All-American really caps it off,” stated Witman. “She is a fantastic person who has been a great player and leader. Keli is the best player I have coached at York. She certainly deserves all the accolades she has received over her career.”

Ward leaves York with her name all over the Spartan record book. Her 1,523 points ranks fourth all-time while her 640 assists is a school record by 245 helpers. Ward is fifth in career scoring average (14.0 ppg), fifth in field goals made (545), second in career field goal percentage (47.3%), second in three point field goals made (157), fifth in three point field goal percentage (36.5%), and fifth in free throws made (276). She is also fifth in career steals (231) and fifth in career blocked shots (67).

The Spartans accumulated a school-record mark of 27-3 as they advanced to the Sweet 16 in their first NCAA Tournament appearance. The Spartans won a school record 25 straight games as they became the first team to go 16-0 in conference play. With Ward directing the Spartans, the Spartans accumulated a four-year mark of 79-32, good for a winning percentage of 71.2%. Those 79 wins are 18 more than any four-year class in Spartan history.

Ward is a four-time All-Capital Athletic Conference selection including being named the CAC Rookie-of-the-Year in 2005-06. She also earned d3hoops.com All-Region accolades in each of the four years of her career.

Ward is a nursing major and is the daughter of Marc and Sherri Ward.

FULL WBCA RELEASE

Keli Ward photo courtesy of Mike Zortman