April 24, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State football senior Kye Stewart has been selected from a pool of 1,300 top student-athletes from across the country to represent ISU at the 2007 annual NCAA Leadership Conference, LeaderSHAPE.
A 2006 All-Gateway First Team selection, Stewart will be one of 356 student-athletes at the event held in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., in May. The 2007 conference will be held at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort from May 27-31. Stewart is the second straight football student-athlete selected from Illinois State, as senior quarterback Luke Drone attended the conference in 2006.
The annual leadership conference was created by the NCAA in 1996 to provide a diverse group of the nation's top student-athletes an opportunity to actively participate in activities that will enable them to become better leaders on their campuses and in their communities.
Each school nominated four student-athletes who have demonstrated an ability or strong desire to be leaders and would benefit from a significant leadership experience. In order to be eligible, applicants must be in good academic standing and must have athletics eligibility remaining in the following academic year.
Illinois State athletics director for academics and life skills Jane Widger Fulton believes that Stewart will be a perfect representative for the Redbirds.
"Kye is a very remarkable young man," said Fulton. "He has a strong desire to do well and his dedication can be seen on the football field, to getting a college degree and being a good role model. I'm excited for Kye to have this opportunity because I think this is a great event where he will gain a lot of experience working with other student leaders from across this country. I have no doubt that he will be a great ambassador for Illinois State University."
Head football coach Denver Johnson echoed Fulton's comments on his linebacker.
"Not only is Kye a great performer on the field, but he is accomplished in the classroom and an outstanding citizen," said Johnson. "Everyone at Illinois State should be proud to have a guy like Kye Stewart, not only represent the football team, but also the entire athletics department at the NCAA LeaderSHAPE conference."
Stewart appeared in 12 games last season, with all his starts coming at the outside linebacker position. He led the team with 11 tackles for loss and ranked second on the team in tackles with 126, which was also second best in the Gateway Football Conference.
""I feel privileged to be one of a few student-athletes selected from across the country," said Stewart. "It is a great honor to attend this national event and represent the Illinois State Redbirds. I'm looking forward to it."
