The Lone Star Conference selected five student-athletes to receive the league’s degree-completion scholarships for 2009-10.

Cameron’s Renee Breeze, Tarleton State’s Nicole Cone, Texas Woman’s Ashley Martin, Midwestern State’s Allison Schreiber and East Central’s Kacey Thomas are the initial scholarship recipients of a program designed to provide financial assistance for completion of a first baccalaureate degree to deserving student-athletes in the conference. 

In the first year of the program, the Lone Star is providing more than $11,000, which is funded with assistance from the NCAA Conference Grant program.

“The Lone Star Conference has long recognized the excellence of our teams and individuals in athletics competitions, but implementing this degree-completion program shows our student-athletes that we are equally committed to success in the classroom,” said Stan Wagnon, LSC commissioner.

Breeze, a former golfer at Cameron, is completing her degree in education. She was a four-time all-conference selection and a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America and LSC academic pick.

Cone, who recently exhausted her eligibility with Tarleton State’s softball team, is on track for a degree in nursing. She was an all-LSC first-teamer in 2007 and an all-academic selection in 2007 and 2008.

Martin, a former softball player at Texas Woman’s, is finishing her marketing degree. She started her career as a pitcher and led the team with 101 strikeouts in 2006 before moving to first base as a junior.

Schreiber, who finished her four-year career with Midwestern State’s volleyball team, is completing her degree in kinesiology. She became the eighth player in conference history to achieve 5,000 career assists, ending her career with a school-record 5,741 assists. Schreiber was a four-time all-LSC pick. She was also an all-academic selection in 2008. 

Thomas, who completed her senior year of eligibility with East Central’s basketball program, is pursuing a degree in biology. She led her team in scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.8) and was also named to the league’s all-academic team in 2009.

-Melanie Robotham, Lone Star director of media relations