April 12, 2010

Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Participate in 4Kay Run

From L to R: Head Coach Laurie Kelly, Sydney Alberts (Coach Kelly’s niece), Hilary Alberts (Coach Kelly’s sister), Assistant Coach Monique LeBlanc, Assistant Coach Chad Eickhoff.

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Northern Arizona women’s basketball coaching staff recently took part in the annual Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Association (WBCA) 4Kay Run®. Head Coach Laurie Kelly and Assistant Coaches Monique LeBlanc and Chad Eickhoff participated in the run at the Women’s Final Four last weekend.

“The WBCA has embraced breast cancer awareness and it is important for us as coaches and members of the WBCA to participate,” said NAU women’s head coach Laurie Kelly. “Cancer touches everyone’s lives and breast cancer is certainly a focus since it is predominantly women who are diagnosed. We need to continue to fight and try and save lives.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, there were 192,370 new cases of breast cancer in women and 1,910 new cases of breast cancer in men in 2009. Over 40 thousand women and 440 men passed away from breast cancer last year.

The 4Kay Run is held in remembrance of the late North Carolina State University head women's basketball Coach Kay Yow. Proceeds from the event will benefit cancer research through the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund.

“You could not find a better figure for the event than Kay Yow,” Kelly said. “She was a great person. It is important for all coaches to support what our organization, the WBCA, does. Hopefully we can raise enough money to one day find a cure.”

DID YOU KNOW…The Northern Arizona University athletics department recorded its highest cumulative grade point average since 1997, recording a 3.16 GPA among its more than 300 student-athletes at the completion of the fall of 2009 semester.