PEORIA, Ill. ? Junior forward Jenny Van Kirk (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) has been named one of 10 Missouri Valley Conference Good Neighbor Award recipients, according to an announcement by the league office Friday.
A team co-captain, Van Kirk is averaging 5.3 points and a career-high 4.2 rebounds per game, while helping the Braves to a 19-7 overall record. She is scoring 4.9 points and grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game in Missouri Valley Conference play, as she has helped Bradley to a 10-5 league record.
A second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic-District selection, Van Kirk has started 17 of 26 games this season and is averaging 23.8 minutes per contest. She is third on the team in assists (1.8 per game) and tied for second in steals (1.0 per game).
Sporting a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average, she is enrolled in Bradley's Individualized Major Program (pre-med) and has been named to the Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll all five of her semesters on The Hilltop. Last year, Van Kirk received Bradley's Carl Grose Service Award, given annually to recognize a student-athlete who is committed to volunteerism on campus and in the local community. She has been selected as the Bradley Country Financial Scholar-Athlete of the Week three times in 2008-09.
In an effort to honor model student-athletes, the Missouri Valley Conference has partnered with State Farm Insurance in creating the MVC Good Neighbor Award. In order to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing, must demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service and must participate in a sport during the season of recognition. The Valley will recognize 10 student-athletes three times annually (fall, winter, spring) for a total of 30 honorees each school year.
Off the court, she has volunteered in a wide variety of activities including taking part in the Buddy with the Braves Program, assisting at the Peoria Boys and Girls club and visiting the Children's Hospital. Van Kirk has also donated time to the Peoria Dream Center and the Southside Mission among her many community service efforts.
Van Kirk and the Braves return to action Sunday with a 1:05 p.m. (CST) game at Indiana State.
