McLean County Times

Illinois State University athletes Elyce Knudsen and Nevaeh Thomas have been recognized by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) for their academic and athletic achievements. Both students have been named to the CSC Academic All-District teams, as announced by the CSC office.

This honor highlights student-athletes who excel both on the court and in their academic pursuits. The recognition follows their earlier selection to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team this season.

Elyce Knudsen is pursuing a master's degree in business administration with a 4.0 GPA. She averages 13.6 points per game with shooting percentages of 46.2% from the field and 42.7% from beyond the arc. This season, she has scored in double figures in 21 games, including seven instances where she scored over 20 points. Knudsen has also been named MVC Newcomer of the Week five times, leading in this category among her peers this season.

Before joining Illinois State, Knudsen graduated with a finance degree and a 3.90 GPA at Millikin University, where she was a three-time CSC Division III Academic All-America First Team honoree.

Nevaeh Thomas maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while studying exercise science. On the court, she averages 12.1 points and leads her team with an average of 7.2 rebounds per game. Her shooting percentage stands at an impressive 53.5%, ranking fifth in the MVC. Thomas has achieved ten double-doubles this season, making her one of only six players in program history to record such a feat in a single season since Holly Hallstrom's twelve double-doubles during the 2005-06 season.

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