By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. –The positive momentum continues to build around the Tennessee Tech women's basketball program.
Fresh off a historic 2022-23 season in which the Golden Eagles captured their first OVC tournament championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 2000 as well as their first NCAA tournament win since 1990, Coach Kim Rosamond announced the signing of Division III WBCA All-American guard Madison Kellione on Friday.
Kellione will bring her own championship resume to Cookeville as a graduate transfer with two years of eligibility remaining. The standout guard will bolster an already strong and talented Tech roster.
"Maddie not only knows how to win, but she knows what it takes to win championships at the highest level," Rosamond stated. "To go undefeated, help her team win a National Championship, and be named MVP of the championship speaks volumes about who she is a player and person. We are so excited she has chosen to finish her last two seasons at Tennessee Tech."
Playing the last three seasons at Division III Transylvania University, Kellione helped lead the Pioneers to a perfect 33-0 campaign in 2022-23, including an 18-0 march through the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference and a dominant run through the NCAA D-III tournament field, winning the national championship with a 57-52 victory over Christopher Newport.
Kellione led the team in scoring with a 15.3 point-per-game average, ranking 26th nationally in scoring on the Division III level, while she also dished out 145 assists – an average of 4.4 per game and ranked 13th nationally.
This past season alone saw a lot of accolades for the 5-6 point guard from Cynthiana, Ky. In addition to being named the NCAA Division III Championship Most Valuable Player, Kellione was a Women's Basketball Coaches Association First-Team All-American, a D3Hoops Region 8 first-teamer, a D3Hoops Second-Team All-American, a first-team All-HCAC pick, a two-time HCAC Player of the Week and the HCAC Tournament MVP.
"Maddie is an outstanding playmaker with a great feel and understanding of the game," Rosamond said. "She impacts the game in so many different ways with her ability to score, create off the dribble, as well as her uncanny ability to see the next pass. As good as Maddie is on the court, she's an even better teammate and person. She excels in the classroom and is a leader in all areas of her life."
Kellione also earned a prestigious academic honor as she was awarded the NCAA's Elite 90 Award, which recognizes the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade point average who reaches the championship for each of the NCAA's 90 men's and women's sports across Division I, II and III. With a 3.94 cumulative GPA in physics and minors in math, computer science and biology, Kellione will also be an excellent addition to a Golden Eagle squad that has excelled in the classroom.
She was recently named Transylvania's Female Athlete of the Year for the second straight season, and repeated as the HCAC Female Athlete of the Year as the award was announced on Thursday.
Through her three seasons played at Transylvania, Kellione has 1,233 points (15.2 per game), 278 rebounds (3.4 per game), 300 assists (3.7 per game), while shooting .455 from the floor, .383 from 3-point range with 146 3-pointers, and .815 from the free throw line with 303 made charity tosses. She also has 124 steals.
"I chose Tennessee Tech because it really felt like home the second I got to campus," Kellione said. The coaching staff and team are super awesome. You can tell they are a group that loves to have fun but also loves to work hard. Coming off the national championship win, I was really looking for a place where I could compete for championships at the next level and I know I found that in TTU."
Kellione joins an outstanding incoming class that consists of true freshman post Megan Aulbert (Lutheran HS, St. Louis, Mo.) and graduate transfer forward Yaubryon Chambers (Vanderbilt).
Photo | Grace Bradley, NCAA Photos
