Illinois State’s Jaelyn Keene has been named one of 10 NCAA Division I volleyball student-athletes selected as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, the organization announced.
Fan voting is now open for the Senior CLASS Award here. Fans can vote for up to three finalists every day until voting closes December 4. Fan voting accounts for one-third of the selection process, which also includes input from a panel of NCAA Division I coaches and national media members.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
A senior middle blocker from Jacksonville, Illinois, Keene has been a standout on the court, in the classroom and in the community during her four years on campus.
Keene is a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference First-Team and AVCA All-Region selection. She ranks at or near the top of several Illinois State and MVC all-time lists, is on pace to break Illinois State’s career hitting percentage record, and already ranks among the top 10 in school history in career kills, blocks, aces and points.
In the classroom, Keene owns a 3.97 cumulative grade-point average as an accounting major. She’s been named to the Illinois State AFNI Honor Roll and MVC Academic Honor Roll every possible year and semester. She is a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First-Team selection and three-time MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award winner. She has been named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selection each of the past two years, and was an Academic All-America Second-Team selection in 2016.
Keene is also an active member of the community, volunteering her time in a number of community service projects during her time at Illinois State. Keene has been active in: Special Olympics, Curb Birds, Recess Buddies, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Club, Taste of Redbirds and local food drives.
Keene was previously named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award on Oct. 3. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2017 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship in December.
