FMU’s Kiefer named to PBC All-Academic Team

FLORENCE, S.C. - Francis Marion University senior forward Katherine Kiefer has both named to the Peach Belt Conference All-Academic Team for women’s basketball.
Kiefer, a native of Lilburn, Ga., was selected to the second team.
The All-Academic Team is part of a new season-long program recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of PBC student-athletes in the classroom as well as on the field. To be eligible for the squad, a student-athlete must participate in at least half of her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor; have achieved a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and have completed at least one full academic year at her current institution.
Kiefer appeared in 22 games this past season and averaged 2.2 points and 0.8 rebounds per game. She connected on 48.6 percent of her field goal attempts and 70.6 percent of her free throw attempts.
She helped Francis Marion to a 27-5 record, a No. 14 national ranking, the squad’s second consecutive Peach Belt Conference regular-season championship, and its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. FMU won two games in the Southeast Regional and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in team history.
In the classroom, the psychology major owns a 3.76 grade point average. She is a member of Chi Alpha Sigma national college athlete honor society, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority Inc., and the FMU Honors Program. She has been named to the FMU Swamp Fox Athletic-Academic Honor Roll each of her four years and to the PBC Presidential Honor Roll three times. She earned an ADA Academic Achievement Award for 2007-08 and was a member of FMU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee the same year.
Kiefer has also taken part in many community service events including the American Heart Association Heart Walk, working in the Manna House, helping with youth clinics at the Florence YMCA, taking part in a reading program in local elementary schools, helping with the Pecan Festival, and visiting a local retirement home to play bingo with the residents.
In her four seasons at FMU, the 5-10 Kiefer appeared in 87 games and compiled 440 points and 194 rebounds.
Kiefer was a four-sport athlete at Parkview High School, and a member of the school’s 2003 state championship basketball team.


2009 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team
First Team
Player School Year Hometown GPA Major
Mandy Dudish GCSU So. Snellville, Ga. 3.43 General Business
Morgan Johnson USC Aiken Sr. Marietta, Ga. 3.35 Fine Arts
Meredith Legg USC Aiken Sr. Huntersville, N.C. 3.71 Business Administration
Satu Leppanen USC Aiken Sr. Lahti, Finland 3.85 Business Administration
Syretha Marble North Georgia Sr. Canton, Ga. 3.54 Physical Education
Megan Starnes USC Aiken Sr. Riley, Kan. 3.57 Business Administation
Second Team
Katherine Kiefer Francis Marion Sr. Lilburn, Ga. 3.76 Psychology
Natalie Ray UNC Pembroke Sr. Laurinburg, N.C. 3.32 Physical Education
Brittany Reynolds Georgia Southwestern Jr. Decatur, Ga. 3.21 Marketing
Jamilah Sharp Georgia Southwestern Sr. Stockbridge, Ga. 3.37 Education
Third Team
Chauntel Ferdinand Columbus State Jr. Lawrenceville, Ga. 3.22 Exercise Science
Triahna Harris USC Aiken So. Springfield, Va. 3.46 Exercise & Sport Science
Ilya Hunt UNC Pembroke So. Raleigh, N.C. 3.86 Elementary Education
Portia Jones Armstrong Atlantic St. Jr. Savannah, Ga. 3.23 Psychology
Tracey Paschal Augusta State Sr. Fairburn, Ga. 3.35 Health & Kinesiology