OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Illinois State softball's Allison Spence has been named one of 30 candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award®, the organization announced on Thursday. The award celebrates senior student-athletes who use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as community leaders.
"This recognition is very exciting for Allison," head coach Melinda Fischer shared. "I think that it is just a credit to everything she has done over the course of her career at ISU. She's been a big part of our program, offensively and defensively, and it's nice to see her acknowledged for the resume that she's put together, both on and off the field."
Spence will leave ISU as one of the most decorated players to have been a multiple-year starter at first base. She is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, and earned a spot on the NFCA All-Mideast Region Third Team in 2017. The Beecher, Illinois, native holds the single-season putout record (527) at ISU and ranks fourth all-time in school history with 1,098, after leading the team and the MVC in that category the last two seasons.
In the classroom, Spence has excelled in her studies, earning a spot on ISU's AFNI Honor Roll and the MVC Honor Roll in every semester. She carries a 3.49 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) as a business administration major and was recently selected as one of just 12 student-athletes at ISU to be the PNC Student-Athlete Achiever of the Game, which acknowledges ISU athletes who excel both academically and athletically. Spence earned an MVC Scholar-Athlete Team honorable mention nod in 2018 and is on track to graduate in May.
In her four years as a Redbird, Spence has used her status as a college athlete to help enhance the Bloomington-Normal community by being involved with organizations and giving back in her spare time. Her service includes work with assisting kids in after-school programs, promoting youth sports, welcoming kids back to school and serving as a pen pal. Globally, Spence has worked with her ISU teammates in aiding Operation Christmas Child, which is an organization that fills shoe boxes around the holiday season and sends gifts to orphans. On ISU's international trip to Puerto Vallarta, Spence painted murals and helped host a softball clinic for the natives.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in the four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award 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. The 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists later in the season.
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