Aug. 17, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
During her time at Washington (Ill.) High School, Maggie Krick always approached academics and community outreach with the same tenacity she displayed during her record-setting career on the hardwood. The guard's dedication to the three aspects that are essential to a student-athlete's career has helped Krick gain her first recognition as an Illinois State women's basketball player as Redbird head coach Robin Pingeton proudly named her freshman the first-ever recipient of the Rev. Dr. Joanne Peppard-Cooke scholarship.
The scholarship was generously established by Peppard-Cooke, who is renowned in the ISU academic circles for being the first graduate of the university's doctoral program in Education Administration and Foundations in 1966. The Peoria, Ill., resident also became an ordained minister and has a ministerial career that spans over 30 years, where she has served as the pastor for the United Methodist Church in Illinois communities such as Tiskilwa, Warsaw, Basco, Roseville, Swan Creek and Spring Bay.
"I'm really flattered to receive this honor as a freshman," Krick said. "It means a lot to be recognized for being more than just a basketball player and more as an all-around talent."
Krick comes to Bloomington with plenty of accolades on her basketball resumé. The Washington, Ill., native set school-career records for points, assists, steals and three-pointers made. In 2006, Krick became only the player in school history to surpass the 2,000 point mark in her career as she led her team to a school-best record 26-3 en route to the sectional finals. For her efforts, Krick was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team, Associated Press and Champaign News-Gazette.
As much as the basketball recognitions have meant to Krick, her success in the classroom has always been something she has prided herself on. The future business major was a National Honor Society member and Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) recipient, an award voted on by teachers and peers based on her academic performance and community service, at WHS.
"Academics are something I've always taken very seriously," said Krick. "It is something I plan on continuing to work hard at here at ISU."
Krick's passion for basketball, academic excellence and giving back to the community stood out to her new coach making her the perfect fit for the Peppard-Cooke scholarship.
"We are really excited that Maggie (Krick) has joined our program this year," Pingeton said. "She is so involved in her community and she is an excellent student. She is going to be a tremendous basketball player. When you get the total package (in a student-athlete), you really feel like you one the lottery. Over the next four years, she is going to become a fan favorite and I look for her to do a lot of good things on and off the court."
"Pep" has given this scholarship to express her support of education and women's athletics, specifically in the area of women's basketball at ISU. As a recipient of scholarship support herself, when a young student, Peppard-Cooke is well aware of the significant difference that financial support can make in the life and commitments of a young woman student. In creating this fund, Peppard-Cooke hopes that she will help young women students to actively participate in women's athletics, while at the same time reach their undergraduate career goals.
The Rev. Dr. Joanne Peppard-Cooke scholarship is one of the 15 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. Though not one of the eight fully-funded endowments at ISU, the Rev. Dr. Joanne Peppard-Cooke Scholarship is a fully funded scholarship.
For more information about supporting Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call the Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
