April 2, 2008

DEKALB, Ill.-Shari' Welton (Calumet City, Ill./Thornwood) was named to the 2007-08 Women's Basketball Academic All-MAC Team the league announced today. Welton, a communications major, boasts a 3.94 cumulative grade point average and has the highest GPA of the eight-member team.

"I'm so excited for her. She's a true example of the world-class experience here at Northern Illinois University," NIU head coach Carol Owens said. "She knows how have that balance both athletically and academically.

"She is a smart young lady that has a huge future ahead of her. She works hard on the floor and works hard in the classroom to be what it is she wants to be. I'm just really proud of this accomplishment."

Welton, a junior, just completed her first season with the Huskies, averaging 8.9 points a game. She led the Huskies in scoring six times, reaching double figures in 14 games. She scored a career-high 17 points at Bowling Green. Welton scored her first career double-double Nov. 15, 2007 against Western Illinois. She grabbed her career-high 12th rebound and scored her 10th point of the game with three seconds left, giving the Huskies a 60-59 victory over the Westerwinds.

The Huskies finished the 2007-08 season 10-18 overall and 6-8 in the MAC. NIU fell to Kent State, 75-67, in the first round of the 2008 Kraft MAC Women's Basketball Tournament. Welton is the second Huskie to receive MAC honors. Senior Whitney Lowe (Bushnell, Ill./Prairie City) earned second-team All-MAC honors.