Fort Lewis College basketball player Kelsey Sorenson has been announced as one of the nominees for TheLeadershipPlaybook.com 2022-2023 Student-Athlete of the Year. The award honors people who exemplify sportsmanship, positive leadership or good teamwork.
Sorenson was poised for a strong junior season as one of the team’s premier returners, and she lived up to the hype. She put up career numbers in points per game (12.7) and rebounds per game (7.0) – marks that ranked 13th and 11th in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Utah product scored double-digit points on 18 occasions while racking up five double-doubles this season. Sorenson went off for a Skyhawks career-high of 31 points versus Adams State on Feb. 7 (13-of-15 FG) en route to RMAC Player of the Week honors.
Sorenson was one of two Skyhawks, along with Lenae Billy, who earned All-RMAC honors this season. Sorenson received an honorable mention while Billy landed on the Second Team. FLC finished 9-19 this season, improving tremendously after a 2-25 record in 2021-22.
TheLeadershipPlaybook.com aims to help athletic departments and sports teams build stronger cultures by developing better teammates and more positive leaders. As part of its online curriculum, the program has hundreds of 2-minute video lessons to increase a person’s leadership abilities and develop life skills.
The program was developed by Jamy Bechler, a former college basketball coach and high school athletic director. Bechler is now a professional speaker, leadership consultant and host of the “Success is a Choice” podcast. He is also the author of five books, including “The Bus Trip” and “The Captain.”
“We’re thrilled to recognize Kelsey as a good example of what a student-athlete should be,” Bechler said. “Great teams have great teammates, and though no leader is perfect, it’s awesome to be able to recognize student-athletes trying to have a positive influence on their teammates and friends. Deserving student-athletes from across the United States were nominated by their coaches, administrators, teammates and, in some cases, even competitors from other schools.”
The nominees all received an award certificate and a complimentary membership to TheLeadershipPlaybook.com for the upcoming school year. When the award winners were announced, Sydney Sickels of the University of Illinois and Elijah Malones of Grace College (Indiana) ended up winning the college student-athlete of the year titles.
