ST. LOUIS. – Redshirt junior Mary Crompton has earned the Missouri Valley Conference's top academic honor, headlining the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team while being named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league office on Tuesday morning. Senior Kayel Newland joins her on the Scholar-Athlete Team receiving an Honorable Mention nod.
Crompton has played in all 29 games this season and is averaging 9.8 points and 2.3 three-pointers per game. The Iowa City, Iowa native is second in the Valley with 67 triples made on the season, shooting at a 37.4% clip from deep. Crompton is the only Redbird to ever record 60+ threes in three different seasons and ranks third all-time in career three-pointers, having made 207 and counting in an Illinois State uniform.
The redshirt junior maintains a 4.0 GPA while pursuing her master's degree in Biology, after having graduated in three years with a bachelor's degree in Physiology, Neuroscience and Behavior in May 2021. She was one of 14 students (on a campus of 20,000+) to be named a Robert G. Bone Scholar and is currently in the running for Academic All-American honors after being selected to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team last month. This is Crompton's second MVC Scholar-Athlete Team recognition, having previously been named Honorable Mention during the 2020-21 campaign.
Newland, a four-year player for the Redbirds, has played in 28 games this season while starting in two and averaging 3.5 points per conference contest. The senior is shooting at a 50% clip from the field on the year and at an impressive 72.2% (13-of-18) rate from behind the three-point line in Valley play.
The Kansas City, Mo.-native maintains a 3.88 while double-majoring in Physiology, Neuroscience and Behavior and Psychology. This is Newland's first MVC Scholar-Athlete Team recognition and the senior will graduate this May.
To be eligible for selection to the Scholar-Athlete Team, players must be starters or important reserves, have played at least 75% of a team's games and must carry at least a 3.30 GPA (on a 4.0 scale). Student-athletes must also have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true or redshirt freshman are not eligible) and must have completed one full academic year at the institution.
UP NEXT
The Hoops in the Heartland MVC Tournament kicks off this weekend, with the No. 4 Redbirds battling the fifth-seeded Loyola Chicago Ramblers at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline.
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