There was a time when Ashlee Kelly thought about leaving Division I Quinnipiac to play Division II or III, but then she recalled a conversation with her older brother, Donnie. “When I first left for college, he told me that I wasn’t in shape to play Division I basketball, and that in two months I would be back home,” said Ashlee Kelly, a Mt. Lebanon graduate. “He continually reminded me if I did come back, then he would win.” Ashlee Kelly proved Donnie wrong. Not only did she stay at Quinnipiac, she has become one of the best players in the conference. Kelly was named Northeast Conference Player of the Year. A 6-foot junior center/forward, Kelly averaged 16.5 points per game and a league best 12.1 rebounds per game for the Bobcats this season. She closed out the regular season with a league leading 19 double-doubles. “People told me I might win Player of the Year, but I wasn’t sure because there are so many good players,” said Kelly, who was a second-team selection last year. “I am so thankful for such a great honor.” Kelly certainly deserved it Robert Morris coach Lynn Roman said. Kelly is the kind of player teams must prepare for because she is dangerous on both ends of the floor, Roman added. “She just does so much,” Roman said. “She can control the boards and is a solid shooter. She was effective in all aspects of the game. She is much deserving of the honor.” Especially with all she’s been through. When she came to Quinnipiac as a freshman she was not in shape. She had to lose weight and then had ankle surgery as a sophomore. Doctors reconstructed three ligaments and removed part of her ankle bone. She was going to redshirt her second year, but she wanted to play so she worked hard to rehab the ankle so she could get back on the court. “I guess I kind of have a high tolerance for pain,” Kelly said. “I came back quicker than anyone thought, but I might have com back too quickly because I ended up tearing both calf muscles, but it is OK now. You never want to have surgery, but in the end surgery makes you stronger.” Kelly realized the importance of her health equating to a successful season for the Bobcats. She never had to sit out practice or miss any games this year. Quinnipiac coach Tricia Sacca-Fabbri said having Kelly at 100 percent was key. “We knew that if we were going to have a successful year, Ashlee was going to have to have a Player of the Year type season, and she did,” Sacca-Fabbri said. “We had our best season in Division I with 18 wins and 14 conference wins. Without the type of season that she had, we wouldn’t have been able to do that.” Kelly moved into fourth place all time for the Bobcats with 715 career rebounds. She scored her 1,000th-career point Feb 22 against Long Island. “Ashlee has brought the belief that we can compete for a championship,” Sacca-Fabbri said. “She has a winning attitude and makes the team believe that we can win a regular season title and take the next step to win our conference tournament. Ashlee needed to remain healthy to have a great year. She was banged up at certain points this year, but none of her injuries had an impact on our season as they have in years past.” The only painful thing this season was No. 2 Quinnipiac losing to the No. 7 University of Maryland-Baltimore County, 66-47, in the first round of the NEC tournament last weekend. “The season ended too quickly,” said Kelly, a criminal justice major. “My college basketball career is going so quickly, too. I only have one more year left. I better make it happen. You always say, ‘You can do better next year,'” but next year is it.” Unless, she plays professionally. “If the opportunity arises, I certainly would consider it,” Kelly said. “But I am focused on Quinnipiac right now and helping this team win a championship next season.”

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