June 4, 2008

Saluki senior outfielder Krystal Stein was chosen to receive the Missouri Valley Conference post-graduate scholarship, known as the "Emerson Excellence Award."

The Missouri Valley Conference Faculty Athletics Representatives Committee voted to award the postgraduate scholarship, due to Stein's "exemplary academic and athletic performances." She will receive a $10,000 postgraduate scholarship from the Conference.

 Stein, a native of Nashville, Ill., achieved a perfect cumulative 4.0 grade point average in speech communication with a marketing minor. She was twice awarded with a Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete selection, earning first-team honors in both 2006 and 2007. Stein was also selected in 2006 and 2008 to third-team ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America Team. Additionally, she was on the SIU Academic Dean's List seven times, was a 2005-2007 Saluki Scholar and the recipient of both the Dr. Charlotte West Endowed Scholarship and Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award in 2007. Stein concluded her undergraduate studies by being named the 2008 SIU College of Liberal Arts Valedictorian and one of the SIU 25 Most Distinguished Seniors.

 An outfielder, Stein was a four-year starter on the SIU softball team. She had a career .298 batting average, scored 80 runs and posted a 140-58 record while a Saluki. In both 2005 and 2006, she earned first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors and was selected Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week in 2005. Stein was also a member of SIU teams that played in three consecutive NCAA tournaments.

 Stein's community service activities included assisting with Special Olympics, tutoring fellow student-athletes in speech communication, participation in the Missouri Valley Conference "Just Read" program, and speaking at area high schools on the dangers of drugs. She plans on pursuing her master's degree in kinesiology at Southern Illinois University.