SAN FRANCISCO – Stanford’s Kelsey Murray was selected the first-ever Pac-12 Women’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

Murray, a Wilmette, Ill. native, is pursuing a master’s in communication and currently holds a 4.03 grade point average (GPA). She received an undergraduate degree also from Stanford in psychology, graduating with a 3.87 GPA. This season, she was named to the Tewaaraton Award watch list and an IWLCA preseason All-American. Prior to this season before the Pac-12 sponsored women’s lacrosse, she was a two-time first-team MPSF All-Conference and All-Region selection, and named to the MPSF All-Academic team in each of the last two years.

As a 2018 team captain, Murray is Stanford's all-time career leader in goals (189), assists (117) and points (306). She also holds school records for goals (seven vs. California Apr. 27, 2017) and points (10 at Colorado Apr. 9, 2018) in a game. She earned second-team IWLCA All-America honors in 2016, and in 2017. She also set school single-season records in points (87) and goals (57), and finished with the second-most assists (30) in Stanford history in 2017. Murray was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week on March 5.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.

The inaugural Pac-12 Women’s Lacrosse Tournament will be held April 26-29 at Prentup Field on the campus of the University of Colorado, Boulder. Tournament matches will air live on Pac-12 Networks on April 26, 27 and 29. For more information, visit pac-12.com/womens-lacrosse/tournament.

Also nominated: Meredith Haggerty, CAL; Sarah Brown, COLO; Natalie Modly, ORE; Gussie Johns, USC.