NORMAL, Ill. – Each year, a deserving Illinois State volleyball student-athlete is selected for a prestigious endowed scholarship at Illinois State University, and this year, senior standout Courtney Pence was chosen for this honor by Redbird head volleyball coach Leah Johnson.
"Courtney is very deserving of the Linda Herman endowed scholarship," Johnson shared. "She works extremely hard to set a prime example of what we want the women in our volleyball program to represent, and that is someone who works hard in every area of their life, while being a good teammate. There is no doubt that Courtney will leave a lasting impact on her current teammates, while leaving a legacy that will carry on at Illinois State far beyond her time here is over, similarly to Linda Herman."
"It means so much to me to receive this endowment under Linda Herman's name," Pence expressed. "Linda Herman is known at Illinois State as one who began an amazing legacy that I am so thankful to be a part of. One of my goals in my career has been to develop this volleyball program the most I can and to leave the strongest legacy I can, by creating leaders and influencing those around me. Thanks to role models like Linda Herman, it gives us purpose and direction in why we represent Illinois State the way that we do. I am very thankful to receive this endowed scholarship, and be a part of the legacy she has created."
Linda Herman Endowed Scholarship Recipient // Courtney Pence - Senior -Â Libero -Â Springfield, Illinois
Pence has been a standout on the volleyball court, in the classroom and in the Bloomington-Normal community in her four years at Illinois State. She was recently named a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
On the volleyball court last season, Pence broke the single-season digs record (821), while helping the Redbirds to a program record of 2,515 total digs. The 2017 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection broke the school's career digs record last season, finishing her junior campaign with 2,083, and needs just 151 digs to break the Missouri Valley Conference career digs record of 2,656.
She currently maintains a 3.62 cumulative grade-point average as a double major in entrepreneurial small business management and risk management and insurance, with aspirations to work at an insurance agency upon graduation in May.
The scholarship, which is awarded annually to a Redbird volleyball student-athlete, was created in honor of former volleyball coach and interim athletics director Dr. Linda Herman in September 2005. Rose Stadel, the widow of Joe Warner, handed over the proceeds from the 2005 Joe Warner Memorial Golf Classic to initiate funds for the endowment. The late Warner spent three decades as a prominent business and community leader in central Illinois before his tragic death in a 2002 plane crash. He was an avid Redbird fan and supporter.
Herman was one of Illinois State's most influential administrators. She was named the 1995 National Associate of Collegiate Women Athletic Administrators (NACWAA) District V Administrator of the Year, and was also the recipient of the Bloomington/Normal YWCA Women of Distinction Award for outstanding leadership and excellence in education in 1997. Herman spent seven years as the head Redbird volleyball coach, and served four separate stints as ISU's interim athletics director. She was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Hall of Fame in September 2005, and in December 2003, was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) inaugural Hall of Fame class. Herman is also a member of the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame, as she was given the Lifetime Achievement distinction in 2014.
This endowed scholarship is one of 30 available to Illinois State student-athletes that are funded by private donors. For more information about establishing or contributing an endowed scholarship, please call the Weisbecker Scholarship Fund office at (309) 438-3803. To read about each current endowment in more detail, visit the WSF website at www.weisbeckerscholarshipfund.com.
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