BEREA, OHIO -- Baldwin-Wallace College junior women’s basketball student-athlete Karissa Kusick (Chicora Pa./ Karns City High School) has been chosen as the STARR Student-Athlete of the Month for the month of November.
The STARR of the Month program stands for Students Taking Active Responsible Roles. The program was developed in conjunction with two NCAA-related programs: CHAMPS/Life Skills and the STARR pilot program of which Baldwin-Wallace is one of eight NCAA Division III grant receiving recipients. The STARR of the Month Program recognizes exceptional student-athletes who are showing a great balance between athletic, academic, personal, service, leadership and other involvement.
Karissa, a chemistry major who plans on attending pharmacy school upon graduation, strives to balance school, sports, work and extracurricular activities.
At B-W, Karissa is involved in a variety of organizations and leadership positions. She is an Ohio Athletic Conference representative to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), a member of Athletes in Action and a Career Education Outreach Peer Mentor intern in the Career Services Office.
Academically, Karissa is a member of the Dean’s List and Alpha Lambda Honor Society. She is a recipient of both a B-W Presidential Scholarship and a Laurels Honors Scholarship. She also volunteers with local community and children’s services.
On the basketball court, Karissa is a team-leader and has helped the Yellow Jackets to win 20 or more games in each of her first two seasons in the program. The past two years, she has been chosen as a team captain.
"Karissa is a very involved young woman who is exceptional in every way," said Head Basketball Coach and Athletic Director Cheri Harrer. "She is an exceptional student, involved on campus and in her community and is a heck of a basketball player and team leader.
"You know what you are getting from Karissa every day in practice," said Harrer. "You know she is going to work very hard and give 110 percent effort. You know she is going to be a leader, both on and off the court. You know she is going to encourage her teammates and she is going to help the younger players however she can. We are very pleased and lucky to have a young woman the quality of a Karissa Kusick at baldwin-Wallace College."
Karissa will be playing in her third season of basketball in 2002-2003.
As a freshman, Karissa helped the Yellow Jackets compile a 27-3 overall record, capture both the Ohio Athletic Conference regular season and OAC Tournament titles and make a sixth straight trip to the NCAA Division III National Tournament. B-W advanced to the Division III "Elite Eight" for the second straight year. Karissa backed up three-time All-OAC player Emily Clark. She appeared in all 30 games and averaged 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds per game with 45 assists and was also one of B-W's top foul shooters, canning 39 of 51 attempts for 76.5 percent.
As a sophomore in 2001-2002, Karissa again was one of the first guards to come off the bench. She played in all 27 games, including one start, and averaged 4.3 points per game. Karissa set a career-high with 14 points against Wilmington College in the OAC Championship Game on February 23, 2002.
"This is a great honor for Karissa, especially with the start of the season just around the corner," said Harrer. "I know it will be a motivator for her. She will work even harder to maintain the reputation and respect of her teammates and classmates. That is just that kind of leader. We are proud of Karissa."
Congratulations, Karissa on being the STARR Student-Athlete of the Month. You are a leader on the Baldwin-Wallace College campus.
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