March 10, 2009
MVC Scholar-Athlete Team Release
ST. LOUIS - For the second-consecutive year, three members of the Illinois State women's basketball team were named to the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Team, as announced by the league office Tuesday. Senior guard Kristi Cirone was named to the first team, junior guard Maggie Krick was named to the second team and redshirt junior center Nicolle Lewis received honorable mention recognition.
Cirone received her third scholar-athlete team honor and was the only repeat first-team honoree. She leads the Redbirds and the Valley in scoring, averaging 18.7 points per game. She also leads the Redbirds in assists (182), steals (65), field goals (197), three-pointers (63) and free throws (105). Cirone was named the MVC Player of the Week and Scholar-Athlete of the Week five times this season, more than any other player in the league. She was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V First Team earlier this year for the second-consecutive season. Cirone has a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) in exercise science.
Krick was a second-team selection for the second-straight year. She is second on ISU in scoring (12.6 ppg), field goals (129), three-pointers (45) and assists (82). Her 80.8 free throw percentage leads the team and ranked third in the Valley this season. She was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V Second Team earlier this year, her second-straight honor. She has a 3.84 cumulative GPA in business teacher education.
Lewis is on the scholar-athlete team for the second time in her career after earning honorable mention accolades in 2007. She is ISU's third-leading scorer (10.3 ppg) and leads the Redbirds in rebounding (7.3 rpg) and blocks (71). Lewis became ISU's all-time leader in blocks with four against Northern Iowa March 1 and she is one block shy from tying the school's single-season record. A two-time Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Lewis has recorded five double-doubles on the season. She has a 3.59 GPA in exercise science.
The criteria for the scholar-athlete team parallels the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves, have played in at least 75 percent of a team's games and must carry at least a 3.00 GPA on (on a 4.0 scale). Student-athletes must also have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen are not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
A total of 28 Valley student-athletes met the nomination criteria for scholar-athlete honors in 2009.
Illinois State begins its run at a second-straight State Farm MVC Tournament title Friday against either Southern Illinois or Evansville at 12:05 p.m.
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