Dick Shilts Female Student-Athlete of the Year
2023 DICK SHILTS FEMALE STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
ABIGAIL LONG, KALAMAZOO VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Kalamazoo Valley Community College women's basketball standout, Abigail Long, has been named the 2023 Dick Shilts Female Student-Athlete of the Year following a vote by the association's leadership. Now in its third year, the Dick Shilts Award annually recognizes one female and one male student-athlete from the MCCAA who excels in their sport, in the classroom and in co-curricular activities.
Long, a two-time NJCAA Division II All-American and MCCAA Western Conference Player of the Year, averaged 22.5 points per game to go along with 6.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per contest this season to culminate a brilliant career for the Cougars. The 22.5 points per game average was No. 1 in the MCCAA and led Long to eclipsing 1,000 career points in a Cougar uniform this season. Long's 6.2 assists per contest was also an MCCAA best.
In the classroom, Long has amassed a perfect 4.0 grade point average and was named Kalamazoo Valley's 2023 Dale B. Lake Award Recipient for Outstanding Academic & Athletic Achievement.
The well-rounded student-athlete is also active in the community, working numerous Douglass Community Center Basketball Clinics, as well as volunteering in various capacities in the community, including but not limited to: backpack and sneaker drives, volunteering at Northside Montessori, assisting with the Willmore Foundation and participating in Gun Violence Awareness events.
Long will attend and play for Concordia University-Ann Arbor beginning in Fall 2023.
Dick Shilts was a longtime Athletic Director at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and was longest serving MCCAA President in association history. During his time in MCCAA leadership, Shilts championed the MCCAA's individual academic awards and helped lead a host of other initiatives across the association.
| YEAR | NAME | SCHOOL | SPORT |
| 2023 | Abigail Long | Kalamazoo Valley Community College | Women's Basketball |
| 2022 | Faith Webber | Delta College | Women's Soccer |
| 2021 | Elizabeth Green | Delta College | Women's Soccer |
