PEORIA, Ill. -- Seniors Lindsay Stalzer (Kewanee, Ill./Kewanee) and Gillian Falknor (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove) were both named first team Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes, according to an announcement by the league office Thursday. Stalzer earned first-team Valley scholar-athlete honors for the third time in her career, while Falknor earned the honor in her first year of eligibility.
Stalzer joined Laura Benzing and Jenna Passman as the only Bradley players to earn first-team scholar-athlete honors in all three years they were eligible for the award, while Falknor became the 10th different Brave to capture first-team scholar-athlete honors. Bradley has had at least two first-team Valley scholar-athletes in six of the last seven years and has a total of 17 first-team scholar-athletes in the eight years Scott Luster has been head coach of the Braves.
A two-time first-team All-Valley performer, Stalzer leads the nation with 695 kills and is third in the country with a 5.79 kills per game average. She ranks as the Valley's career kills leader with 1,923 and set the MVC record for kills in a season with her 695 on the year. An engineering major with a 3.30 cumulative grade point average, Stalzer was named a third-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection earlier this year. Stalzer also holds the Bradley record for kills in a match, season and career and ranks third in school history in block assists and service aces.
Falknor is the 16th player in Missouri Valley Conference history with 500 digs in a season and leads the Braves with a 4.79 digs per game average. Her 517 digs ranks as the third best season total in school history and it also ranks as the 13th best season total in Valley history. She leads the MVC with a 5.58 digs per game average in league games and has 10 outings with 20 or more digs this season. A history education major, Falknor owns a 3.93 cumulative grade point average and was named a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V selection.
The Braves (16-16 overall, 9-9 MVC) return to action Friday when they face I-74 rival Illinois State in the first round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at 10 a.m. in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
