Jan. 28, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
Another week, another pair of conference honors for Illinois State senior guard Kristi Cirone, who was named the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week Wednesday for the fourth time this season. It is the third time this year that Cirone has been named the conference's player and scholar-athlete of the week in the same week. She has been named scholar-athlete of the week 10 times in her career.
Cirone averaged 18.7 points, 6.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals in three Redbird wins last week to extend their winning streak to four games. She shot a blistering 60 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent from three-point range, and was 14-of-15 from the free throw line.
Cirone, who has a 3.50 cumulative GPA in exercise science, notched 20 points, eight rebounds and tied her season-high with nine assists against Missouri State. She had 18 points and six assists against Evansville. During that game, she moved into first place in career assists at Illinois State and became the second player in school history to surpass 200-career three-pointers. Cirone capped the week with 18 points and five assists against Southern Illinois.
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.
Northern Iowa junior forward Adam Koch received the male scholar-athlete award this week.
