{"id":5843,"date":"2024-04-10T08:05:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T08:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/?p=5843"},"modified":"2025-02-04T13:52:43","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T18:52:43","slug":"haley-downin-officially-elite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wilmu.edu\/news\/2024\/04\/10\/haley-downin-officially-elite\/","title":{"rendered":"Haley Downin: Officially Elite"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{padding-right:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);padding-left:var(--global-kb-spacing-lg, 3rem);}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 991px){.kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column5843_186a0a-3e dynamic-main-col\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<p>Anyone connected with the Wilmington University softball program over the past four years has known that <strong>Haley Downin<\/strong> is elite. Now, it\u2019s official.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last May, Downin received the NCAA Elite 90 Award, which honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the NCAA\u2019s 90 championships. The first Wildcat athlete to be named an Elite 90 award winner, Downin was presented with the award at the banquet that began the week-long NCAA Division II National Softball Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The individual accolade capped off a historic season of achievements for the Wildcat team. They won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Regular Season Title, the CACC Tournament Championship, the NCAA DII East Region 2 Tournament, and the East Super Regional Series to advance for the first time to the NCAA DII Softball Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s more, their peers selected Head Coach <strong>Mike Shehorn<\/strong> and his staff \u2014 <strong>James Brittingham<\/strong>, <strong>Tom Freeland<\/strong>, and <strong>Jerry Grasso<\/strong> \u2014 as the 2023 ATEC\/NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Downin, a graduate of Chesapeake High School in Pasadena, Maryland, has excelled in the classroom and on the playing field since enrolling at WilmU in 2019.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shehorn recruited her as a pitcher, but her freshman season in the circle was cut short by COVID. Last year, she played primarily first base, and in previous years she pitched and played second.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks to her athleticism, the 5-foot-7 Downin can play anywhere, and she has. Last season, Shehorn used her as catcher for a couple of innings, marking the ninth position she has played for the team.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2023, Downin hit .306 while collecting six doubles, a triple, a homer, and 21 RBI. She\u2019s a career .322 hitter with 143 hits, 30 doubles, three triples, two homers and 57 RBI. She has scored 83 runs and stolen 28 bases in her four years. She\u2019s also made 38 pitching appearances for the Wildcats, totaling 137.2 innings and registering a 4.42 ERA with 80 strikeouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly a high achiever in the classroom, Downin received a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/behavioralscience\/psychology.aspx\">bachelor\u2019s degree in Psychology<\/a> last spring, finishing with a 3.99 cumulative grade point average. She\u2019s currently pursuing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wilmu.edu\/behavioralscience\/applied-family-science-master-curriculum.aspx\">master\u2019s in Applied Family Science<\/a>. After earning that degree in 2025, she says she will immediately begin studying for a second master\u2019s in School Psychology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of her academic achievements, Downin says: \u201cI\u2019m very strict about school work, and I\u2019m very organized. I get everything done weeks ahead of time. My anxiety makes me do things early instead of procrastinating, which I guess is a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote wu-blockquote-simple is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;She\u2019s not just a vocal leader; she also leads on the field.\u201d\u2014 <em>Mike Shehorn<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>A standout in both basketball and softball at Chesapeake High, Downin was recruited by several schools, including George Mason, the University of Maryland, Seton Hill, and the University of Delaware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She says she chose WilmU because it\u2019s only a 90-minute drive to her home in Pasadena, and she \u201cloved the coaches.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI also liked the atmosphere,\u201d she adds, \u201cand the fact that there were no dorms was a big selling point for me. I like having more of a homey feel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the team\u2019s four co-captains, she\u2019s enjoying her last year of athletic eligibility while living with a softball player and a basketball player in an apartment on Route 40, across from the school\u2019s athletic complex. She originally intended to play both basketball and softball at the University. \u201cI was going to redshirt the first year for basketball and see how things went,\u201d she says, \u201cbut there was a coaching change, so I decided to let that go and focus on softball.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSoftball has been an interesting journey for sure,\u201d she says. \u201cCOVID messed it up a little bit, so I never really had a freshman year. Now that we\u2019re finally back to normal, it\u2019s been really fun. Going to the College World Series last year was an amazing experience. We had a great time bonding together and going to all the different events. I can\u2019t ask for anything more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Downin and Shehorn connected almost immediately. \u201cCoach Mike and I have always had a really good, open relationship,\u201d she says. \u201cHe tries to have that with everybody. He can be serious, but he does like to have fun. And he\u2019s also very family-oriented. When we travel, he makes sure the schedule allows us to get together with our families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Shehorn calls Downin \u201cone of our leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cShe handles so many things, like updates on meetings, making sure everyone has the right gear,\u201d he says. \u201cShe takes the initiative on these things. And she\u2019s not just a vocal leader; she also leads on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Downin hopes to pursue a career as a middle school psychologist while coaching basketball or softball. \u201cI usually help coach my high school basketball team while we\u2019re on winter break,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When she\u2019s home, she also plays in pickup games at the high school gym with her dad and what she calls \u201chis old man crew.\u201d &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She calls her father, Leroy, her hero. \u201cHe still tears it up on the basketball court,\u201d she says. \u201cWe\u2019re both very competitive, and I would love for him to be on my team all the time, but the other players say that\u2019s not fair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two Downins on the same team? That does seem unfair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u2014 Bob Yearick<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anyone connected with the Wilmington University softball program over the past four years has known that Haley Downin is elite. 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