SAAC Names Student-Athletes of the Month
1/17/07

The Student Athlete Advisory Committee has selected Cory Smith (Bartlett, TN), Matt Kilbane (Fairview Park, OH), and Crystal Jessee (Bartlett, TN) as the Student-Athletes of the Month for December.

Smith reigns as the Lynx leading scorer with 17.1 points per game (9th in SCAC) while shooting 46.3% from the field. Smith has been a strong player from the free throw line as well with an accuracy of 88.6% (2nd in SCAC). Under the basket, Smith has been averaging 4.1 rebounds per game, as well as handing off 2.2 assists per game.

At the DePauw Invitational on December 1st and 2nd, Kilbane established himself as one of the best freestyle swimmers in the SCAC. On the first day of competition, he finished 11th in the preliminary swim of the 500 Freestyle, and moved up to 10th place overall with a personal best time of 5:08.08. That evening, Kilbane helped the Men’s 800 Freestyle Relay beat the likes of DePauw, Rose-Hulman, and Transylvania Universities. On the second day of swimming, Kilbane competed in a very tight heat of the 200 Freestyle where he finished 14th in the preliminary swim, and finished 9th in the mile (1,650 yards) with a time of 17:58.55. During the final session of swimming, Kilbane improved his ranking in the 200 freestyle with a 13th place finish in a time of 1:54.81. Once again, Kilbane was a crucial element in relays as he helped the men’s team score an additional 18 points in the 400 Freestyle Relay and have its best finish at the DePauw Invitational.

One of the premier student-athletes at Rhodes College, Jessee, a dual-sport athlete (volleyball and basketball) is a multiple recipient of the Student Athlete of the Month award in her career. One of the top players in the SCAC, she is ranked an 4th in both field goal percentage (60.6%) and rebounds per game (7.4), 3rd in blocked shots per game (1.6), and 11th in scoring (12.6 ppg). In the Lynx’s game against Olglethorpe, where she became the 10th member of The Lynx 1,000 Point Club, as well as The Lynx career leader in rebounds.