Senior guard Chelsea Chowning was the 2008 SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. ? Five Kentucky women’s basketball players, Chant? Bowman (Detroit), Sarah Elliott (McKee, Ky.), Samantha Mahoney (Detroit), Carly Ormerod (Louisville, Ky.), and Eleia Roddy (Columbus, Ohio) are set to participate in commencement exercises Sunday, May 4 in Rupp Arena.
Bowman, a senior guard, graduates with a bachelor of arts in communication and plans to pursue a coaching career. Elliott is a senior center who graduated in December with a bachelor of science in family and consumer science. She aspires to become a college counselor for incoming freshmen. Mahoney, a senior guard, will receive two degrees for her double major. She earned a B.S. in business accounting and a bachelor of business administration in finance. She hopes to begin a field in finance after graduation.
“This is such a great accomplishment,” Bowman said. “It’s amazing how fast it went by and there are a lot of people to thank. Our academic center, the Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (C.A.T.S.) is amazing. They helped a lot by providing advisors and tutors and it was a great tool to have as a student-athlete.”
“It’s a huge honor,” Elliott said. “I worked very hard and overcame a lot of adversity to get to this point. I would like to thank the people in C.A.T.S., especially academic advisor Amy Craiglow, for guiding me and encouraging me during these four years. Our academic advisor Jon Ross also was a huge help. Everyone in our academic center is awesome and I couldn’t have done this without them.”
Ormerod is a junior point guard who graduates an entire year early with a B.S. in biology. She is preparing to enter a physician assistant program (PA) after completing her eligibility next year. Roddy is a red-shirt junior after she was forced to sit out the 2006-07 season with a knee injury. She graduated in December, a semester early, with a B.A. in psychology. The 6-3 forward is currently taking classes in the family and consumer science program and is applying to graduate school in the fall.
In the last five seasons at Kentucky, 100 percent of the women’s basketball players completing their eligibility (16) also left with their degree. UK also boasts the 2008 Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in senior Chelsea Chowning (Lexington, Ky.). Chowning is in her second year in UK’s prestigious College of Pharmacy and is on track to graduate with a doctorate in pharmacy in 2010.
“I’m very proud of our graduates,” UK Coach Matthew Mitchell said. “Of all the groups I’ve been involved with over the years, this is the best combination of players with great talent on the basketball court and great achievement in the classroom. It is a rare combination.”
Over the last four seasons, the Wildcats posted a 77-55 (.583) overall record and advanced to postseason play each year.
Sarah Elliott, Chant? Bowman, Coach Matthew Mitchell, Samantha Mahoney, Eleia Roddy, Carly Ormerod
