BAINBRIDGE – Abi Selfridge, a senior standout at Bainbridge-Guilford, plays both basketball and volleyball. As a junior, Selfridge was a member of the New York State Championship Volleyball team and scored her 1,000th point for her basketball career.
With quite the banner year as an 11th grader, she is starting off her senior season right where the last one left off.
In her final season as Bobcat Volleyball player, she recorded her 1,000th assist. On Thursday afternoon in a B-G conference room in front of family, teammates and friends, Selfridge signed her National Letter of Intent to play volleyball at Clairon University.
Clairon is a NCAA Division-II program in Clairon, PA and is located in the northwestern part of the state – a five and a half hour drive from Bainbridge. In the fall of 2019, Selfridge will become a part of the Golden Eagles program.
Currently, the Golden Eagles are playing in the D-II NCAA tournament and won their opening round game the same day Selfridge signed her letter.
After playing club volleyball all over the country, a tournament in Penn State is where Clarion head coach Jennifer Herron first took an interest in the Bobcat senior.
“My cousin went to Clarion and was an athletic training major,” said Selfridge. “She told me that they were a great program as she worked with them. I then looked to at the school to see if they had the major I was interested in [Nutrition and Fitness] and they did.”
Selfridge then reached out the coaching staff, who began communicating with her and was invited for a campus visit.
“I really liked the campus and the coaches,” she continued. “The town of Clarion has a homey feel as it is a pretty small, tight-nit community. I liked that.
“I also did a try out with the coaches, which was allowed by the NCAA. I was able to work with the coaches one-on-one and I liked their style as well as the type of program them run.”
Upon graduating from the school, Selfridge could walk away with a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Fitness and a Master’s in Athletic Training after five years.
On the volleyball court with B-G, she currently leads the team in aces, kills and assists for the 2018 season. Selfridge is more of a statistical leader for the teams she plays on. She can take over any game with her go-getter attitude.
“Abi always wants to be number one and that moves the team to want to be that way as well,” said Tami Selfridge, Bobcats’ Volleyball head coach. “Her team believes in her and she believes in her teammates as she leads the team by example. She is an all-around player who has a very high understanding of the game.”
Tami, who is Abi’s mother, continued by saying, “I am so proud of Abi as her mom and also as her coach. The level of play at Clarion is one of the best in Division-II so this is such an awesome achievement for her.
“The fit of the school as well as the volleyball program just seems so perfect for her. I know she thinks so and I agree 100 percent. It just feels right. I can’t wait to see her in a Clarion uniform and I am so excited to cheer for her as any other parent would.”
However, if you know Abi in just the slightest measure, she is very humble about all of her accomplishments throughout her career. She is not one to strut around as the best. She proves it during the game for either sport she participants in.
“It’s a very special time for Abi and the school as well as the community is proud of her,” said Kevin Hores, Bainbridge-Guilford’s Athletic Coordinator, in his introduction to the signing.
Abi looks forward to continuing her playing career in college but has her focus on this weekend and defending the New York State championship.