COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Three Ursinus College student-athletes – senior Megan Keenan (Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson) of the field hockey team and sophomore Anna Budny (Richboro, Pa./Council Rock North) and junior Erin Farrell (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) of the women's soccer team – were among the 63 who made history as part of the first-ever Academic All-Centennial Conference Team, revealed by the league this morning. To be nominated, student-athletes must have received both all-conference and Academic Honor Roll recognition.
The Academic All-Centennial tag is the latest accolade for Keenan, whose time with the Bears has been highlighted by a litany of honors, both for her play on the field and her work in the classroom. Keenan scored 21 goals and added 20 assists to lead Ursinus all the way to the NCAA Division III semifinals, where the Bears were eliminated by top-ranked Bowdoin. During the championship banquet, Keenan was presented with the Elite 90 award, presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA's championships.
The first player since Swarthmore's Danielle Duffy (1995-97) to be named Centennial Conference Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, Keenan is the only player in CC history to earn four straight first-team honors. A first-team NFHCA All-American in 2013 and 2014, Keenan stands second in Division III in assists per game (0.95) and ninth in points per game (2.76) through games of November 15. She is one of five conference Players of the Year to be named to the Academic All-Centennial roster.
A psychology major with a 3.87 GPA, Keenan last week was named to the Fall Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll for the third time. She was honored as the CC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014, when she was also voted the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Field Hockey Performer of the Year.
Farrell, a psychology major, was named to the All-CC Second Team. She finished the season with six goals and two assists to tie for the team lead with 14 points. Three of her tallies were of the game-winning variety.