Also One of the Academic Best
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) - Susquehanna University's All-American senior power forward Kristen Venne of Shillington (Governor Mifflin High School) can add being selected to the GTE College Division Academic All-District II Women's Basketball Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to her growing list of accomplishments during her final season.
To be nominated for the GTE Academic All-America Team, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average, and either a starter or significant reserve on their respective teams. College Division District II includes all NCAA Division II and III schools, as well as NAIA Division II schools from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Venne earned a spot on the team by being one of the top five vote-getters from among the 44 women's basketball nominations submitted by sports information directors from the region. She joins senior small forward Joyce Johnson from fellow MAC school Widener as being the only Division III representatives on this season's District II team, with the final three members all being from Division II schools.
All five members of the District II team will be among the 40 players from eight districts placed on the 1999 national ballot. The GTE College Division Academic All-America Women's Basketball Team is scheduled to be announced on Thursday, March 18.
The 5-9 Venne is a two-time All-American who is already one of the 10 finalists for the Jostens Trophy as the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Player of the Year. She leads the team in both scoring (21.6 ppg) and rebounding (9.3 rpg) - ranking second in the MAC and eighth in Division III in scoring, and fifth in the conference in rebounding. She is also second on the team and third in the MAC in field goal percentage (57.9%, 212 of 366), ranking 19th in the nation. Her 561 points and current scoring average are the second best in a season at Susquehanna (Records: 586 points, Deb Yeasted, 1984-85; 29.8 avg., Lyn Jones, 1980-81). A five-time selection to the Division III Online's National Team of the Week this season, Venne has scored in double figures in 40-straight games, and 97 of 99 during her collegiate career. She is second in Susquehanna women's history in career scoring (1,911 points) and third in rebounding (881). At present, she is tied for first in MAC modern history (since 1993-94) in career scoring average (19.3 ppg), is third in both field goal percentage (54.7%) and rebounds (8.9 per game), and fourth in free throw percentage (76.9%).
"I know Kristen is as proud of her academic success as she is of her basketball accomplishments. While she's earned a lot of honors during her career, this one probably ranks right up there with all of them," said 12th-year Susquehanna head coach Mark Hribar. "You would have to think she's probably got a good shot of earning national Academic All-American honors."
A psychology major, she is the daughter of Richard and Ann Venne of Shillington. Venne has helped Susquehanna post a 17-9 record and make the 48-team NCAA Division III Championship Tournament field for the ninth-time in program history - and first time since 1993. Seeded fourth in the Mid-Atlantic Region, Susquehanna will host 23-4 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference runner-up Gwynedd-Mercy College in a first-round game Wednesday, March 3, at 7 p.m.
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