Kathleen Beljan

Classroom

Beljan became Dayton’s first-ever NSCAA Women’s Scholar All-American First Team selection in 2010. She also picked up NSCAA Scholar All-East Region First Team honors in 2010. She is a two-time CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District IV selection, earning the honor in 2009 and 2010. Beljan is a 2009 and 2010 Academic All-Ohio First Team honoree. She carries a 3.459 GPA in Chemical Engineering. Beljan has worked at UDRI (Dayton’s research institute) since the summer of 2010 and continued throughout the school year, working with the advanced polymer group as a technician assistant. She works on a wide range of polymer related projects. Beljan also works with the environmental engineering group where she runs the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Character

Beljan is a two-time co-captain of the University of Dayton women’s soccer team, two-time defending Atlantic 10 champions. She has been an active member of UD’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee since her freshman year. Coming out of high school, standing at just 5-foot-2, she was not highly recruited. She has made a name for herself at Dayton with her outstanding speed, composure and skillful left foot, and has become one of the best defenders in the Atlantic 10 and in the nation.

Community

Beljan has been a camp counselor for the Muscular Dystrophy Association for the past six summers. The camp is a six-day, five-night camp in Ashley, Ohio. She is in charge of one camper between the ages of 6 and 11. She typically has a different child every year or every other year and she takes care of him throughout the week with whatever he needs and is also a camp buddy. She helps him participate in activities that are specifically designed for people with limited mobility or use wheelchairs. Beljan has also played in a mud volleyball tournament for epilepsy and helped with the Centerville Special Olympic Basketball Program. She has participated two times in UD’s Christmas on Campus and volunteered the UD soccer camps for three summers. She also participated in National Women and Girls in Sports Day every year.

Competition

Beljan became University of Dayton’s first women’s soccer player to be named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List when she was selected in 2010. It was a banner year for her as she was named the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, First Team Atlantic 10, NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region, and First Team All-Ohio accolades. She led the team in minutes played with 2,104. As a sophomore she was a First Team Atlantic 10 selection, a Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team honoree, as well as First Team All-Ohio. She was also named to the A-10 All-Championship Team. As a freshman she was named to the Division I Freshman All-America Fourth Team by SoccerBuzz.com and tabbed to the Great Lakes Region All-Freshman squad. She was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team, A-10 Second Team and First Team All-Ohio. During her tenure, she has led UD to two Atlantic 10 regular season titles, two A-10 Tournament Championships and two NCAA Second Round appearances (2009 & 2010). Prior to the past two seasons, the Flyers hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2004. Beljan is key to the defense, contributing on the left side. She has helped the UD defense lead the A-10 in shutouts the past two seasons with a school-record 15 in 2009 and 14 in 2010. She helped the Flyers to a .609 shutout percentage in 2010, the 5th best in the nation. She has helped UD to a .794 (50-10-8) winning percentage, seventh-best in the nation for the senior class.