Rachel Galligan

Classroom

Rachel has compiled a 3.31 GPA while majoring in communication studies.  She earned a spot on the 2007-08 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll and has helped EIU win three consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Team Academic Achievement Awards for women’s basketball.  Rachel has also helped EIU rank among the WBCA Academic Top 25 the last two years (7th in 2008; 10th in 2007) and is a member of Lamba Pi Eta (Communication studies honor society).

Character

Rachel is a four-year member of EIU’s chapter of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as the president each of her upperclassman seasons, and vice-president as a a sophomore.  She was also the only student-athlete chosen for the EIU athletic director search committee during the 2007-08 school year.  Galligan has represented EIU at the Ohio Valley Conference SAAC meetings each of the last three years, serving on an OVC legislative board.  In the spring of 2008, Rachel was chosen as the female student-athlete to speak at the annual Spring Fling Fund Drive kickoff mixer (which is sponsored by the Panther Club boosters).  In recognition of all her accomplishments, she is also a two-time team captain as an upperclassman.

Community

Rachel has participated in a bevy of community outreach programs, including Market Day at local elementary schools (all four years), and annual chili dinners at schools and churches in Charleston and Mattoon.  She worked a basketball clinic at Charleston’s Wesley United Methodist Church to benefit Nothing but Nets campaign to buy malaria nets for people in Africa and has helped raise money for less fortunate families that can’t afford Christmas presents (even going out and buying presents to finish off local children’s wish lists).  Galligan has visited local elementary schools with her teammates annually, reading short stories and hosting Q&A sessions about what it’s like to be a student-athlete.  She walks in the annual Take Back the Night March (a rally fighting violence against women) on campus and she has participated in Hazing Prevention Week with Greek Life organizations.  Rachel is a member of UMADD (a student-athlete started campus version of Mother’s Against Drunk Driving) and has worked preseason basketball clinics for area youth both on campus and local elementary schools.  In addition to her studies and athletic training schedule, she has worked as a counselor and instructor at the annual EIU basketball summer camps, even staying in the dorms with the campers her sophomore year.  Through SAAC she has helped organize the annual canned food drive, as well as the bi-annual student-athlete BBQ dinner and dodge ball all-athlete mixer.

Competition

Rachel is a four-year starter and has earned First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors each of the last two seasons.  She is EIU’s first back-to-back First Team All-Conference honoree since 1983-8 and as a junior, Galligan led EIU to 19 wins and an appearance in the OVC Tournament title game.  In 2006, she was tabbed OVC Freshman of the Year and this season the Daily Eastern News (EIU’s student newspaper) named her the 2008 Female Athlete of the Year.  Rachel led the OVC in scoring in all games (18.5 ppg) and conference play (20.5 ppg) last season and enters her senior season with 1,309 career points after posting the first 500-point season by a Panther since 2002 as a junior.  Galligan owns EIU single-season and all-time records for free throws made and blocked shots and is ranked in the Top 30 nationally in 2008 in free throw percentage, field goal percentage and scoring.  Rachel is a four-time OVC Player of the Week and her presence in the post is one of the primary reasons why EIU is the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.  Runner-up for 2008 OVC Player of the Year honors, Galligan is also a member of the EIU track & field team, winning the javelin at the 2007 OVC Outdoor Championships and helping the Panther women capture the conference crown.