NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Christopher Newport University all-time leading scorer and four-time All-American Chelsie Schweers ('11) has become the first women's basketball player in school history to sign a deal to play professional basketball. Schweers is headed to Greece to play in the top league in the country, the Greek A-1 League, for Panathinaikos in the capital city of Athens.

Schweers wrapped her collegiate career as the second-all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division III history, with 2,869 points. She knocked down 415 career three-pointers, the second-most in history at any NCAA level and the most ever in Division III. The 2011 National Player of the Year set the NCAA Tournament scoring record with 174 points in six games and led CNU to its first ever Final Four appearance in her senior year.

The CNU alumna will join Panathinaikos in the middle of its season, sporting a 9-5 overall record. The team's next game is Saturday, January 28, as they will take on Asteras, also 9-5 and tied for third place in the league. The top four teams make the playoffs.

The team is currently led by American Diana Delva (Hartford '10), a 6-2 center averaging 18.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. The team is coached by Siamandoura Giasemi and, with Schweers, will feature two American players. Schweers is the lone Division III product in the league.

Schweers, CNU's first four-time All-American, landed in Greece early this morning and will practice with her new team for the first time today.