Trio of Guards Named to NCAA Scholar-Athlete Team

Jenna Rubino

Three Conference USA players have been selected to the NCAA Division I-AAA Athletic Director's Association Scholar-Athlete Team. A trio of guards; Marquette junior Carolyn Kieger, Saint Louis sophomore and DePaul sophomore Jenna Rubino were three of ten given the honor, the association announced on April 9.

Kieger maintains a GPA of 3.60 in broadcasting. In her junior season, she was named Second-Team All-Conference USA, leading the league and assists. She was ninth in the nation in that category. With one season remaining at Marquette, Kieger is two assists away from becoming the second player in program history to record both 1,000 career points and 500 career assists.

"It's a great honor to be named to the Scholar-Athlete team," Kieger said. "Being a college basketball not only about the athletic side, but the academic side as well. I was happy I was nominated for this award and feel privileged to be named to the Scholar-Athlete Team."

McIlwraith battled through injures this season and averaged 5.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg with 25 steals, 24 assists and 18 blocked shots. In 2003-04, she garnered the Conference USA Commissioner's Academic Medal for posting a cumulative GPA of more than 3.75 and helped the women's basketball team earn the Sport Academic Award from C-USA for the highest team GPA.

Rubino was a member of the 2004 Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. She played in all 30 games last season and all 31 this season. For the 2004-05 season, Rubino shot .348 from behind the arc and .778 at the charity stripe.

The award is open to all student-athletes competing at the Division I-AAA level. Each nominee was required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) and have been an important starter or reserve, playing 50 percent of a team's games. A review committee of Division I-AAA athletics directors was responsible for selecting the winners.

2005 Women's Scholar-Athlete Team

Ashley Bush, Sr., Seton Hall (3.59, Psychology)
Whitney Cave, Jr., Sienna (3.79, Mathematics/Computer Science)
Carolyn Kieger, Jr., Marquette (3.60, Broadcasting)
Mary Jane Krueger, Gr., San Francisco (3.97, Sociology/English)
Tyler McIlwraith, So., Saint Louis (3.89, Education)
Tiffany Mor, Sr., Wis.-Green Bay (3.77, Education/Spanish)
Genny Mueller, Sr., Bradley (3.85, Health Sciences/Spanish)
Jenna Rubino, So., DePaul (3.56, Undecided)
Toni Russell, Sr., San Francisco (3.68, Sociology)
Laura Spanheimer, Sr., Creighton (3.69, Exercise Science)