Jan. 16, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
Junior Kristi Cirone, a guard on the Illinois State women's basketball team, was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Wednesday, Jan. 16. It was the second-consecutive week that Cirone received the award, which honors a male and female Valley athlete every week for academic and athletic success, and the fourth recognition of her career. She has also been the MVC Player of the Week for the past two weeks.
Cirone extended her game-high scoring streak to five to lead the Redbirds to two more conference victories last week. Against Northern Iowa, Cirone scored 25 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including a 4-for-5 performance from three-point range. It was Cirone's 20th 20-point effort in her career and her third-consecutive; a streak that has occurred just one other time in her career.
In ISU's win over Bradley, Cirone scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 performance from beyond the arc, in just 27 minutes. Cirone remains at the top of the Valley scoring list in conference games, averaging 22.0 points per contest.
Cirone, who carries a 3.45 grade-point average in exercise science, is the third Redbird to receive a scholar-athlete of the week honor. Her teammate, sophomore forward Ashleen Bracey, received the award on Dec. 19 and women's soccer forward Bethany Russ earned the award on Sept. 19.
The Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week award is in its ninth year and seeks to acknowledge student-athletes in the Valley for their athletic and academic achievements. To qualify for the award, student-athletes must carry a GPA of at least 3.00, have completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and be at least a sophomore in academic standing. In addition to their academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performances for a one-week period.
