March 17, 2009
ATLANTA -
Illinois State senior guard Kristi Cirone has been named a regional finalist for the State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the second-consecutive year. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced the 52 regional finalists Tuesday.
The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team selection committee will review the 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on Thursday, March 25. The 40 finalists will all be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.
Cirone is among five student-athletes representing Region 6, along with Traci Edwards (UW-Milwaukee), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Rachel Porath (Green Bay) and Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton (Purdue). The WBCA Region Six consists of teams in the Missouri Valley Conference, Big Ten Conference and Horizon League.
In an effort to establish a fair number of candidates from each region, an equation to determine the number of regional nominees was formulated. The total number of Division I institutions in each region is divided by the total number of Division I institutions to get a percentage for each region. Multiply 52 (the total number of desired finalists) by the percentage to get a total number of finalists for each region. The 52 regional finalists then go before the selection committee where the list is reduced to 40 finalists. These 40 finalists can come from any region. Per a motion passed by the WBCA Board of Directors in 2008, Region 1 will now have 12 finalists and Region 4 will have six finalists.
The State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Press Conference at the Renaissance Grand and Suites Hotel on April 4, at 9:45 a.m. CT in St. Louis, Mo.
Kristi Cirone has been named a regional finalist for the 2009 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the second-consecutive year. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced the 52 regional finalists Tuesday." target="_blank">GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, TRC gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
