March 19, 2008

NORMAL, Ill. - Junior Kristi Cirone, a guard on the Illinois State women's basketball team, was named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week Wednesday, March 19. Cirone has received the honor, which recognizes a male and female Valley student-athlete every week for academic and athletic success, four times this season, more than anyone else in the conference. Cirone has earned the award six times in her career.

Cirone was named the most valuable player of the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament after guiding the top-seeded Redbirds to the title. Cirone averaged 18.7 points per game over the three-day event. She scored a season-high 27 points, including 20 during a second-half comeback, against Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals. Cirone tallied 20 points in the championship game against Drake and became Illinois State's all-time leader in free throws made.

The Chicago native carries a 3.45 grade-point average in exercise science and was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-Academic District V Second-Team and an MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team selection earlier this season. Cirone is the third Redbird to receive scholar-athlete of the week recognition, along with women's basketball forward Ashleen Bracey, who received the award on Dec. 19, and women's soccer forward Bethany Russ, who earned the award on Sept. 19.

The Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week award is in its ninth year and seeks to acknowledge student-athletes in the Valley for their athletic and academic achievements. To qualify for the award, student-athletes must carry a GPA of at least 3.00, have completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and be at least a sophomore in academic standing. In addition to their academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performances for a one-week period.