Kate Del Fava

Classroom

Kate Del Fava has maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout her collegiate career while double-majoring in pre-veterinary medicine and animal science and minoring in chemistry. She has earned a number of academic accolades during her time at Illinois State including the Presidential Scholarship, AFNI Honor Roll, Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Honor Roll, MVC Commissioner’s List, and being named a CoSIDA Academic All-American during the 2018 season, which has only been earned by two other soccer student-athletes at ISU previously.

In addition to all of the above, Del Fava was recently named a recipient of the Robert G. Bone Scholarship for the upcoming 2019-20 academic year. The Bone Scholarship, named in honor of Illinois State’s late president, is the highest university-wide honor to be bestowed among undergraduate students. Bone Scholars are selected through a rigorous campus-wide competition based on their scholarly achievements and their engagement and leadership in activities in the university community and beyond. Only 14 of Illinois State’s more than 20,000 students were tabbed for this honor.

Del Fava holds herself to high academic standards and has been consistently impressive with her determination to leave an immeasurable influence on everything and everyone in her path.

Character

Del Fava is a remarkable player, and her work rate is unmatched. She is a standout in the Redbird soccer program and is never satisfied with being average. For example, every member on the team is expected to reach Level 18 on the Intermittent Yo-Yo Test. Del Fava’s career goal is to completely beat the test by reaching the end of Level 23, almost doubling the time and distance required by team standards. She is passionate about every facet of soccer and shows unyielding desire to better herself and her teammates.

Serving as a member of the team’s leadership group for the past two seasons, Del Fava sits down every week to help evaluate the program and the team’s development. She is very thorough and detailed in her efforts. In fact, she took the time to help develop a team document titled “What Leadership Looks Like for ISU Women’s Soccer,” which provides a detailed overview and expectations for the program’s leadership. She looks after the soccer program and expresses genuine care and concern for her teammates, creatively problem-solving when conflicts arise.

Del Fava has also served in other leadership roles including Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Leadership Academy and Emerging Leaders. Her investment in serving the team and Illinois State University in these leadership roles has provided a platform for her to show significant holistic growth and has made a powerful and positive impact on the Illinois State soccer program.

Community

Del Fava takes every opportunity to contribute to Illinois State University’s community service efforts in the small amount of free time that she has, volunteering at many different events and causes throughout her Redbird career. Some of those events include the following: Project Fit Day, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund Thank-A-Thon, Special Olympics Illinois, Boys and Girls Club, Blair House, Recess Buddies and St. Jude’s.

She has a passion for helping animals and volunteers much of her time at several local veterinary clinics and animal hospitals with aspirations to one day run her own veterinary clinic.

Competition

Del Fava has played in every single Illinois State soccer match since her arrival in 2016 and has started all but two. The midfielder has been recognized by the conference every year, earning All-MVC First Team honors as a junior (2018) and sophomore (2017) and being recognized on the MVC All-Freshman Team (2016) in her first season. She helped the Redbirds to a 2016 MVC regular season and tournament championships as a freshman, playing all 110 minutes of the NCAA First Round match that saw Illinois State advance over Michigan in double overtime.

During the 2018 season, Del Fava posted a team-high five goals and 55 shots. She is off to a superb start in her senior season, earning Missouri Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week five times (a single-season MVC record).