NEW ORLEANS -- University of Delaware pole vaulter Kelli McDonald has been named to the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national All-Academic team.

McDonald, who graduated with honors from Delaware in May, was one of 531 student-athletes representing 146 NCAA Division I institutions who were honored for having a grade point average of 3.25 or higher and for having qualified for the NCAA outdoor regional championships.

A native of Phoenixville, Pa. (Phoenixville High School), McDonald graduated from Delaware in May with a degree in accounting and carried a cumulative grade point average of 3.97. She qualified for the NCAA East regionals and placed seventh to earn All-East honors for head coach Wendy McFarlane.

In June, McDonald was named the Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women’s outdoor track & field and was also selected to the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America District 2 All-Academic first team for women’s track and cross counry, earning the CoSIDA honor for the second straight year.

A member of the UD Athletic Governing Board and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, McDonald won the 2009 ECAC Medal of Merit for having the highest gpa among UD student-athletes. She studied abroad last summer in China and was active as a volunteer with Special Olympics, the Newark Senior Center, the NSCS Food Drive, and as a tax preparer for the inner-city poor in Wilmington.

McDonald was seventh in the pole vault at the NCAA East Regionals, the highest a Blue Hen has finished in any event in the nine-year history of the regionals, with a school-record vault of 12-10. McDonald, who placed third in the pole vault at the CAA Championships, finished her career with 19 career titles in the event, including three this season. She also placed eighth at the ECAC Championships to earn All-East honors. She was a two-time All-East selection during her career and posted three career top four finishes at the CAA outdoor meet.

- DDD -