Tanya Chilton | The News
Kelsey Long at her home in Pilot Mountain displays her most recent awards in basketball from Belmont Abbey. They are the Best All-round, Academic All Conference and Third Team All Conference awards. Long said they symbolize hard work and dedication.
PILOT MOUNTAIN — Former East Surry Cardinal basketball player Kelsey Long was recently awarded the Best All-round Crusader Award at Belmont Abbey College, selected to represent the school in a career sports forum and awarded a summer internship at North Carolina State University.
Long said of the accolades, “I was honored, the hard work and dedication has paid off.”
She said the Best All-round award was a pleasant surprise and a nice way to finish the season.
To that grand finale list, Long added another special touch after getting a second career high of 30 points during the last regular season game. Long’s career high is 31 points scored against Queens earlier this season.
Also this season, Long also was awarded Academic All-conference and Third Team All-Conference.
During her freshman and sophomore years, Long made the Presidential Honor roll and was given the Sportsmanship Award.
Long celebrated her birthday during the first week of May turning 21 years old. She said in addition to a new set of tires given by her family, she received two other gifts.
Long said, “I was ecstatic to find out that I had been nominated to attend the Career in Sports Forum in Indianapolis. There are only 250 student athletes chosen to attend this conference from across the nation, and I am extremely humbled to be one of those selected.”
Long said making that birthday present even better, she then discovered that friend and soccer player Manolo Garcia from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, also would be representing Belmont Abbey College. The NCAA sports forum is designed to support students in their career goals of working in collegiate athletics and they will attend in June.
In addition, Long said she was recently notified that she had been selected to participate in a men’s and women’s basketball internship during the summer at North Carolina State University. She is looking forward to it, she said. Last summer, Long traveled to Europe and stayed with the WestPhal family in Berlin and talked some about basketball, she said. The Long family met the WestPhal family through the student exchange program.
She said her other passion outside of basketball is working in the college’s mentorship program and being involved in a Bible study at the college. Long said she has especially enjoyed tutoring a second-grader at North Belmont.
Long said her eventual career goal is to coach college basketball. She is majoring in sports management with minors in business and psychology.
Long led the Lady Crusaders this season in the category of total points scored recording 340; she has scored 937 total during her three years. Long also led in the three-point percentage category with 36.5 percent; and in field goals made recording 121. Also during the 2012-13 season, Long recorded 94.5 percent in free throws and had 43 steals.
The Crusaders compete in the 12-team Conference of the Carolinas Division.
Local and North Surry graduate Morgan Midkiff also received the Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Award and led in category of average points scored per game recording 13.4.
Senior Tristen Brannock of North Surry also recently received a partial scholarship to Belmont in wrestling.
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