NORMAL, Ill. - Three Illinois State student-athletes were selected as Robert G. Bone Scholars for the 2011-2012 school year, as announced by Kim Pereira, director of the Honors Program. Polly Hirt (swimming and diving), Caiti Kopp (softball) and Olivia Myers (track and field/cross country) received the prestigious honor Wednesday.
"This is really a testament to the quality of student-athletes here at Illinois State University," director of athletics Gary Friedman said. "Congratulations to Caiti, Olivia, Polly and all of the 2011 Bone Scholar recipients for achieving this prestigious and well-deserved honor. I would like to also thank these fine student-athletes for their efforts and dedication, both in the classroom and in their respective arenas of play."
Hirt earned All-Valley Honorable Mention honors and was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team during the 2010-11 season. The junior diver recorded a personal-best score on the 1-meter board (224.10) and had a season-best score on the 3-meter board (234.75), both against Northern Iowa. The Mundelein, Ill., native holds a 4.0 grade-point average (GPA) in nursing.
Kopp was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Softball Scholar-Athlete First Team in 2011, after appearing in 34 games for the Redbirds and hitting .253 with six home runs and 21 RBI. The junior catcher threw out five opposing base runners and committed just two errors behind the plate. The Normal, Ill., native boasts a 3.95 GPA in anthropology.
Myers recorded three top-15 finishes during the 2010 cross country season season, including a 14th-place finish at the 2010 State Farm MVC Championships in 18:04.98. The junior runner was named to the 2010 MVC Cross Country Scholar-Athlete team and the 2010-11 MVC Track and Field Scholar-Athlete team. Myers grabbed a top-eight finish in the 10,000-meter run at the MVC Outdoor Championships, finishing the race in a personal-best time of 36:44.29 for eighth place. The Normal, Ill., native holds a 3.93 GPA in business administration and recreation management.
The Bone Scholarship, the highest university-wide honor given to undergraduate students, includes a monetary award from the Bone Scholarship endowment. Pictures of the recipients are displayed in the Bone Student Center and their names are engraved on a plaque displayed permanently in the Bone Student Center. The 15 new Scholars will be introduced to university administrators, the selection committee, and to current and alumni Bone Scholars during a Sept. 11 luncheon. They will also be recognized at the University's Scholarship Awards Ceremony in November.
The scholarship is named in honor of the late Robert G. Bone, president of Illinois State University from 1956 to 1967. Bone Scholars are selected through a rigorous campus-wide competition on the basis of their scholarly achievements and their engagement and leadership in activities in the university community and beyond. Invited finalists submit a comprehensive portfolio, including several essays and statements, a project, and five letters of recommendation. The mean grade point average of this year's Bone Scholars is 3.97 on a 4.0 scale.
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