April 3, 2008

By Kyle Herm
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Senior softball player, Krystal Stein, has been named the recipient of two awards for academic achievement by Southern Illinois University, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Stein, who carries a 4.0 grade point average as a speech communication and public relations major, has been awarded the 25 Most Distinguished Senior Award by the SIU Alumni Association, and the Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship for Careers in Athletics by the NCAA.

The 25 Most Distinguished Senior Award is for graduating students who have made a significant contribution to the University during their undergraduate careers, while the Women's Enhancement Postgraduate Scholarship is one of only 13 awards given to female college graduates who will be entering their first year of postgraduate studies.

"It's a great honor to receive any award, and I'm very appreciative to have been given both of these," Stein said. "I am very thankful to have received so much guidance from my coaches, family and athletic administrators during the past years, and I'm grateful they nominated me for these honors."

Stein helped add to the softball team's 3.557 GPA for the 2007 season, which ranked second among the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's All-Academic teams, and highest-ever in the program's history.

In her career, Stein has been named First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete twice (2006, 2007), and in 2006 named First-Team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V, and Third-Team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.

She has also been named the 2007-08 Valedictorian for the College of Liberal Arts.

"Krystal is a great young lady, and embodies what it mean's to be a student-athlete," said SIU head coach Kerri Blaylock. "She's worked so hard on and off the field in her career, and is very deserving of both of these awards."