Diane Rose Kelly, of Cumming, Georgia, honed her stellar soccer skills at Notre Dame High School under Head Coach Sandy Kochek, where she scored 78 goals, most of them as a center forward.
Kelly recalls her years at MCCC as exciting and enriching, and is deeply grateful to Mercer’s staff and coaches, her classmates, and her teammates on both the soccer and softball teams. With its proximity to home, supportive professors and staff, and high-quality education, she considers MCCC to have been the perfect bridge between high school and a four-year college.
Kelly was the first Vikings athlete to earn All-American status in two sports: soccer in 1984 and 1985 and Softball in 1986. She was a national leader in soccer goals scored both seasons.
With the guidance of Coach Bill Drake and teammates Kelly calls “amazingly talented,” she was at the top of her game at Mercer. Among her honors, Kelly was twice named a JUCO Soccer AllAmerican. With 124 goals, she remains the leading goal scorer in JUCO Division 1 women’s soccer. She was named the JUCO Women’s Soccer Player of the Year in 1986, as well as a Softball All-American.
After MCCC, Kelly continued her soccer career at George Washington University (GW) under Coach Adrian Glover. In her two years with the Colonials, Kelly set the single season record for goals (29) in her first season. Kelly also totaled a team-high 61 points that season, a mark that ranks second in program history. In 1987, Kelly helped GW break into the Northeast Regional rankings for the first time in program history, ending the season in ninth place. Kelly ranks second in program history with 44 career goals, just one goal off the record holder, and sits second with 96 career points in her two seasons.
After graduation, Kelly played one season for the New Jersey Wildcats, a professional start-up.
She was head coach for women’s soccer at The University of West Florida from 1992 to 1994.
Kelly was selected for the Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame (2000) and the George Washington University Athletics Hall of Fame (2022).
Kelly is a musician, author, and educational professional who “lives to inspire others.” She released a 22-song compilation CD, Avalon Rose, in January 2022, and plans to share her inspirational music and books as a student mentor, wherever and whenever she can.
