University of North Carolina Athletics
Kellie Thompson Shiley's Prep Jersey #5 To Be Retired
February 24, 2015 | Women's Lacrosse
From Press Releases
The sudden death of Kellie Thompson Shiley, a member of the UNC graduating class of 2002 and St. Mary's High School (Md.) class of 1998, in July 2012 shocked and saddened the St. Mary's and Carolina lacrosse communities.
Now on March 14, two and a half years after her passing due to complications in giving birth to twin daughters and 17 years after she last played lacrosse for the Saints, that same community — joined by members of her family and Jenny Levy, her coach from Chapel Hill — will come together to retire her lacrosse jersey #5, and honor her memory.
During halftime at the 1:30pm SMHS varsity girls' lacrosse game versus The Hill Academy, there will be a special ceremony to retire Thompson Shiley's number, followed by a gathering after the game (approximately 3:00pm).
This marks the first time that St. Mary's has retired an alumna's jersey. The school has also retired jerseys for alumni Brian Wood and Kevin Reichardt.
St. Mary's Athletic Director Allison Fondale explains Shiley's impact on the sport and the community:
"I had the both the honor and daunting task of coaching a team who regularly played against the University of North Carolina's women's lacrosse team, with Kellie Thompson Shiley as their leading scorer. Kellie was the kind of player who you noticed immediately, as she played with a fierce competitiveness, inspired her teammates, and put the ball in the back of the net many times -- holding several records at top-ranked UNC.
"Since arriving at St. Mary's this summer, it has been a real pleasure for me to learn more about Kellie from her teachers, coaches and teammates here. Kellie exemplified the true values of a St. Mary's student-athlete; she was a conscientious student, talented athlete, a strong leader on and off the athletic field and a person of tremendous character. In many ways, we are challenged to uphold her legacy. Retiring Kellie's number and having Kellie be the first St. Mary's female student athlete to receive this honor, we are reminded of Kellie's numerous achievements at St. Mary's as well as the life she led after her graduation."
For more information, please visit www.stmarysannapolis.org/kelliethompsonshiley. Anyone wishing to attend should please RSVP to the St. Mary's Advancement Office at advancement@stmarysannapolis.org. If you have questions, please call 410-268-3467.
