Cedarville's Abby Shelton is the third recipient of the prestigious Great Midwest Female Collegiate Achievement Award after an impressive four-year career as a student-athlete in volleyball.
Other winners of the Great Midwest Female Collegiate Achievement Award include Kaci Britt Bell (women’s basketball) of Trevecca Nazarene in 2015 and Vanessa Consiglio (women’s soccer) of Ursuline in 2016.
The thunderous impact of Shelton’s wicked arm swing connecting with the volleyball will be sorely missed in Cedarville’s Callan Athletic Center, but her character and leadership abilities command just as much respect off the floor.
Shelton finished her career as a two-time first-team all-conference selection, including co-Great Midwest Player of the Year honors as a junior. She also ended up ranking third all-time in conference career kills (1,342) and third in service aces (149).
Shelton received regional recognition as a D2CCA Midwest Region Second-Team pick and was the AVCA Player of the Week in the fall, becoming the first G-MAC student-athlete to receive the national honor. As a three-year team captain, the Yellow Jackets won three conference titles with a 40-5 (.889) league record in her four years.
Displaying the heart of a servant, Shelton spent time in the community at the Springfield jail, sharing her testimony and spending time with inmates. She was also on the staff of FCA Volleyball the past two summers and has been a Cedarville Student-Athlete Advisory Committee officer on campus.
As a major in Sports Business Management with a minor in Bible and Marketing, Shelton has maintained a 3.35 GPA.
ABOUT THE GREAT MIDWEST COLLEGIATE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The Great Midwest Athletic Conference annually selects one male and one female student-athlete to be awarded the Collegiate Achievement Award. This award shall be based upon an individual’s academic excellence, athletic achievements, character, leader- ship and engagement within the community and conference. The 2016-17 academic year represents the third annual presentation of the award.