Transy Star Guard Named HCAC Athlete of The Year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Transylvania basketball guard Madison Kellione has captured another honor: the Cynthiana, Kentucky native was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year, following a vote from league officials.

Kellione is the first to capture the award in back-to-back years. During those two years, Transy had a 60-1 overall record.

A leader for the Pioneers, she helped lead Transy to an undefeated season and the program’s first National Championship.

The Harrison County alum was ranked 13th nationally in assists and 26th in points according to the HCAC, and took home numerous awards for her incredible 2022-23 season, including the NCAA Division III Championship Most Valuable Player, the HCAC Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Year, the HCAC Tournament Team MVP, and WBCA All-American

Kellione also earned the impressive recognition of the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Elite 90 award, which honors an athlete who reaches a national championship, while also achieving the highest academic standard among peers. The Elite 90 is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s championships. Kellione had a 3.94 cumulative GPA as a physics major with minors in math, computer science, and biology and is the first Transylvania Pioneer to ever earn this prestigious award. She recently graduated from Transy.

During her career, Kellione played in 81 games for the Pios, starting in 77 of them, and averaging over 15 points per game.

The HCAC Female Athlete of the Year award has only existed 10 years, and four of the winners were Transy athletes.