March 11, 2009

www.siusalukis.com

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Southern Illinois' Erica Smith earned All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention honors for the 2008-09 season the league office announced Wednesday.

A native of St. Louis, Mo., Smith is earning MVC honors for the third-straight year, an all-defensive team member a year ago. The senior who has started 26 of 27 games this season leads the team in rebounds (176), assists (76), blocks (11) and steals (47), ranked in the top-10 in the MVC in rebounds (7th, 6.5 rpg), steals (8th, 1.7 spg) and field goal percentage (9th, .468).

Illinois State's Kristi Cirone earned her third first team all-conference honor and headlines a list of six players named to the all-conference first team unit. Cirone joins a prestigious list of 16 players who have been honored three times on the all-MVC first team.

Joining Cirone on the first team is a group from five different schools, including Missouri State freshman Casey Garrison, Indiana State junior Kelsey Luna, Creighton junior Megan Neuvirth, Drake junior Jordann Plummer and Bradley senior Monica Rogers.

Maggie Krick and Nicolle Lewis give regular-season champion Illinois State a pair of players on the all-conference second team. They are joined by Evansville's Ashley Austin, Bradley's Sonya Harris and Creighton's Chevelle Herring.

Bradley leads the way with two players on the MVC All-Defensive Team, with 2008 MVC Defensive Player of the Year Skye Johnson and Sonya Harris receiving honors. Austin, Cirone and Neuvirth hold down the other three spots on the defensive unit.

Two Missouri State Lady Bears make this year's MVC All-Freshman Team. Casey Garrison and Jaleshia Roberson represent MSU on the squad and are joined by UNI's K.K. Armstrong, Drake's Rachael Hackbarth and Bradley's Michelle Lund.

Missouri Valley Conference specialty awards for player, newcomer, freshman and defensive player of the year will be announced in addition to the league's coach of the year at the Rawlings Coach of the Year Awards Banquet on Thursday, March 12 at the Columns Conference & Banquet Center.

All-Conference First Team
Kristi Cirone*^! - Illinois State, Sr., G, Chicago, Ill.
Casey Garrison - Missouri State, Fr., G, Bolivar, Mo.
Kelsey Luna@ - Indiana State, Jr., G, Saint Louis, Mo.
Megan Neuvirth$ - Creighton, Jr., F/G, West Point, Neb.
Jordann Plummer - Drake, Jr., G, Saint Louis, Mo.
Monica Rogers - Bradley, Sr., F, Forsyth, Ill.
*2008 First Team; ^2007 First Team; &2006 Freshman of the Year; @2007 Freshman of the Year; $2007 Newcomer of the Year;!2007 and 2008 Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year

All-Conference Second Team
Ashley Austin - Evansville, Sr., G, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Sonya Harris - Bradley, So., F, Riverdale, Ill.
Chevelle Herring - Creighton, Jr., G, Bellevue, Neb.
Maggie Krick# - Illinois State, Jr., G, Washington, Ill.
Nicolle Lewis - Illinois State, Jr., C, Wind Lake, Wis.
#2008 Honorable Mention

All-Conference Honorable Mention
Skye Johnson - Bradley, Jr., G, Olympia Fields, Ill.
Erica Smith - Southern Illinois, Sr., G, Florissant, Mo.
Marcy Sudbeck - Wichita State, Sr., F, Seneca, Kan.
Kelsey Woodard - Creighton, So., G, Bellevue, Neb.
Kim Wypiszynski - UNI, Jr., F/G Green Bay, Wis.

All-Defensive Team
Ashley Austin* - Evansville, Sr., G, Lawrenceville, Ga.
Kristi Cirone*$ - Illinois State, Sr., G, Chicago, Ill.
Sonya Harris - Bradley, So., F, Riverdale, Ill.
Skye Johnson*# - Bradley, Jr., G, Olympia Fields, Ill.
Megan Neuvirth$ - Creighton, Jr., F/G, West Point, Neb.
*2008 All-Defensive Team; #2008 Defensive Player of the Year; $2007 All-Defensive Team

All-Freshman Team
K.K. Armstrong - UNI, G, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Casey Garrison - Missouri State, G, Bolivar, Mo.
Rachael Hackbarth - Drake, F, Colgate, Wis.
Michelle Lund - Bradley, G, Sioux City, Iowa
Jaleshia Roberson - Missouri State, G, Grandview, Mo.