NEWARK, DE -- Senior setter Megan Welch, who led the Blue Hen volleyball team to the Colonial Athletic Association title this past Sunday, has been named the Wilmington Trust Best of the Blue Hens Athlete of the Week for the period ending Nov. 19.

Welch, a hotel/restaurant institutional management major from Yorba Linda, CA, enjoyed a big week. After being named the CAA Setter of the Year and a first team All-CAA selection earlier in the week, she went on to lead the No. 1 seed Blue Hens to 3-1 wins over No. 5 James Madison Saturday night and No. 3 Hofstra Sunday to claim the team's first conference title since 1994.

With the wins, Delaware (30-4) advances to its first ever NCAA Tournament after clinching the CAA’s automatic bid. The first round will take place on November 29-30 at campus sites. Seedings will be announced live on ESPNU on Sunday, November 25, at 8 p.m.

Welch was named the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after recording 105 assists during Delaware's two matches, including 45 against Hofstra in the Championship bout.

Welch is the first Blue Hen to take home Setter of the Year honors. During the regular season, she earned CAA Player of the Week accolades twice as she led the conference with 1,501 assists and a 13.17 assists-per-game average.

Named the Most Valuable Player of the Coastal Carolina Tournament, Welch became just the second Blue Hen in school history to record 4,000 career assists. Her 11.71 assists-per-game average is also the highest in school history, while she holds six of the top-10 spots on the school’s single-match assists list.

Past Winners:

2007-08 Season
Nov. 19 - Megan Welch (Volleyball)
Nov. 12 - Kyle DeHaven (Women's Basketball)
Nov. 5 - Sobhan Tadjalli (Men's Soccer)
Oct. 29 - Christina Antonopoulos (Women's Cross Country)
Oct. 22 - Emily Sammis (Women's Soccer)
Oct. 15 - Omar Cuff (Football)
Oct. 8 - Kyle Schmid (Men's Cross Country)
Oct. 1 - Colleen Walsh (Volleyball)
Sept. 23 - Nolan Greenberg (Men's Tennis)
Sept. 16 - Joe Flacco (Football)
Sept. 9 - Jason Bernstein (Golf)
Sept. 2 - Casey Howard (Field Hockey)
Aug. 26 - Stephanie Barry (Volleyball)

2006-07 Season
Jan. 30 - Asha Quant (Women's Indoor Track)
Feb. 4 - Kyle DeHaven (Women's Basketball)
Feb. 11 - Sam McMahon (Men's Basketball)
Feb. 18 - Maryann Walker (Women's Swimming)
Feb. 25 - Adam Zuder-Havens (Men's Lacrosse)
Mar. 2 - Cristine Marquez (Women's Indoor Track)
Mar. 12 - Debbie Sloan (Women's Lacrosse)
Mar. 19 - Tyresa Smith (Women's Basketball)
Mar. 26 - Joe McLister (Golf)
Apr. 2 - Carolynn Sloat (Softball)
Apr. 9 - Bryan Hagerich (Baseball)
Apr. 16 - Alexi Capsouras (Women's Outdoor Track)
Apr. 23 - Jared Wasser (Men's Outdoor Track)
Apr. 30 - Alex Smith (Men's Lacrosse)
May 7 - David Slovak (Baseball)
May 14 - Tommy Scherr (Men's Lacrosse)
May 21 - Dan Deckelbaum (Men's Lacrosse)
May 28 - Mike McGuire (Baseball)