It is with extreme pride that the UMA Athletic department announces that Keith Chesley has been awarded the USCAA National Men's Division II Student- Athlete of the Year award.
Over the past 3 years at the University of Maine at Augusta, junior Keith Chesley has been a success both on and off the court for the Moose. Keith has done has made significant contributions at UMA all the while working and volunteering in his community. Keith coaches an AAU team for the Gilman Street Basketball Club and spends his free time officiating for the Lawrence youth basketball program. He spends time with the young players for practices and run skills clinics. Chesley works at Pine Tree Camp in the summer and also volunteers for many different Pine Tree Camp activities such as winter fun day, retreat weekends, Snowmobile Ride-in, leadership retreats, farm days and a program called Paddle for Pine Tree Camp. Keith often volunteers in a kindergarten class and has been a mentor is his mom’s special education class. He has volunteered at Lawrence High School games doing the scorebook and helps out at practices for his former team.
His volunteer work continues in the UMA community as well. Keith has participated in many of our food drives, blood drives, and has helped organize UMA's athletic fundraisers including the softball, golf, and 3v3 tournaments and was instrumental in a letter writing campaign to collect donations for the basketball program. He has been awarded many academic honors at UMA including dean’s list, the Rising Scholar Award, and the C. Richard Haskell Memorial Scholarship. Chesley is a two-time USCAA Academic All American basketball player at UMA. Keith also works as an emerging leader for the athletic department, helping out with game management, the athletic website, and advertising for events.
On the basketball team, Coach Jim Ford notes that Chesley is an incredible leader. He has been a captain for the last two years and leads his team both on and off the court. He is involved with every campus visit by new recruits and has dedicated himself whole-heartedly to this basketball program. Although this award is not focused on basketball, Chesley leads the USCAA in scoring with 674 points and recently broke the single season scoring record at UMA set in 1986 of 660 points. Chesley scored his 1,000th point this season and continues to strive for the Moose. We truly cannot put into words the impact that Keith Chesley has on this community and our program.
Please help us in congratulating Keith Chesley and the men's basketball team!