The Illinois State women's soccer team had four Redbirds recognized by the Missouri Valley Conference on the 2018 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Kate Del Fava earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors for the second time in her career, while Abby Basler, Kiley Czerwinski and Mikayla Unger all were named MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention.
Nomination criteria included that the student-athletes must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA on a 4.00 scale. Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of regular-season matches or the MVC Championship. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen were not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institutions. Nominees were then voted on by Sport Information Directors at MVC institutions.
MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team
- Kate Del Fava, Jr., MF, 4.00, Pre-Veterinarian Medicine and Animal Science (Kenosha, Wis.)
- The two-time All-MVC First Team selection netted five goals and dished out three assists while starting every game for the Redbirds in her junior season. She averaged over 83 minutes per match and was featured in the Oct. 3 MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight. Del Fava has made the MVC Honor Roll each year, received the 2017-18 MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award and was recently named a CoSIDA Google Could Academic All-District First Team honoree.
MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention
- Abby Basler, R-So., MF, 3.76, Elementary Education (St. Louis, Mo.)
- After scoring five goals and adding four assists in the 2018 campaign, Basler received All-MVC First Team honors. She averaged over 80 minutes per match while starting every game this season, with three of her five goals being game winners. Basler was named MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22 and has made MVC Honor Roll each year.
- Kiley Czerwinski, Sr., MF, 3.78, Special Education (Naperville, Ill.)
- Czerwinski earned All-MVC Second Team honors in her senior season that saw her tally two goals and three assists. She is a two-time MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award recipient and has made MVC Honor Roll three years running.
- Mikayla Unger, Jr., F, 3.90, Community Health Promotion (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
- The two-time All-MVC Honorable Mention forward netted four goals and two assists while playing in all 21 matches her junior year. She scored the golden goal in overtime to hand Loyola their only MVC loss of the season and was named MVC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 15. Unger has made the MVC Honor Roll each year of her career and received the 2017-18 MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award.
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