Aug. 3, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State junior golfer Jeff Kellen has been named the recipient of the L. Durwood Boone Endowed Scholarship. The award is traditionally given to the most improved player from the previous season.
"Jeff stepped up and continued to improve from his first year and showed glimpses of what we can expect from him in the future," said men's head golf coach Ray Kralis. "He's a guy that just became a regular performer for us on the golf course and very strong in the classroom. He got past that first-year adjustment to have a big year and we look for bigger things from him as an upperclassman."
Kellen led the Redbirds in rounds played as a sophomore with 34, and was tied for third on the team with a 74.6 scoring-average. The Rockford, Ill., native was an All-Valley selection after finishing in 19th place at the conference championship.
Kellen is looking to improve his game and hopes to experience even greater success his junior year.
"It's a great honor to receive the L. Durwood Boone Endowed Scholarship," said Kellen. "A lot of things that I worked on and a lot of hard work with my coach and my teammates really propelled me last season. Hopefully I can continue to improve as the team continues to improve, and we can have an even better season this year."
This scholarship was established with an initial grant from the estate of the late L. Durwood Boone, whose playing skills inspired the start of the Redbird golf program in the 1930s. It was awarded to a Redbird golfer for the first time in 1995.
The L. Durwood Boone Endowed Scholarship is one of 23 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes that are funded by private donors. It is also one of the eight fully-endowed scholarships in athletics.
For more information about supporting Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
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