Jan. 7, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
For the second-consecutive week and the third time this season, Illinois State senior Kristi Cirone was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week. Cirone has received the award, which honors Valley athletes for their athletic and academic achievements, nine times in her career.
Cirone led Illinois State to three wins last week by averaging 22.0 points, 6.7 assists and 4.0 steals per game. She shot 48.9 percent from the field (22-45) and 50 percent from three-point range (7-14). Cirone scored 20 points in each game to extend her career-best streak to six-consecutive games with at least 20, which is tied for the longest streak in school history.
She had 20 points, nine assists and four steals against Eastern Illinois. Her six points in the first half moved her into second place on the ISU all-time scoring list. She then had 22 points and seven assists in ISU's MVC-opening win over Creighton. Cirone scored 14 of her game-high 21 points in a triumph over Drake in the first half and then scored six points in the final three minutes to keep the Bulldogs at bay.
An exercise science major, Cirone has a 3.50 cumulative GPA and has been named to the AFNI Athletics Honor Roll all seven semesters she has completed at ISU.
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.
Cirone was named the Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week Dec. 30 and Dec. 4. Her teammate, Nicolle Lewis received the award Dec. 17. Drake men's basketball player Jonathan Cox received the male award this week.
The Redbirds (11-3) are back in action Saturday when they visit Indiana State (6-7) at 1 p.m. CST. Both teams enter the game 2-0 in Valley play.
