Dec. 27, 2004

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Missouri junior Wade Pennington (swimming) and sophomore EeTisha Riddle (women's basketball) were named this week's Lathrop & Gage student-athletes of the week. Both Pennington and Riddle excel in their sports and in the classroom and donate their time to the surrounding Columbia community.

A native of Scottsdale, Ariz., Pennington holds a 3.81 grade-point average in accounting. Pennington is a member of the Missouri men's swimming program and competes in middle distance events for the Tigers. Swimming in the Nov. 6, dual against Southern Illinois, Pennington finished sixth, with his fastest split coming in 25.44 seconds. Between classwork and competition, Pennington dedicates his time as a representative on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and MS 150 team, where he and fellow MU swimming and diving teammates rode their bikes to raise money for further Multiple Sclerosis research.

A sophomore, Riddle is a key asset on the Missouri women's basketball team. The O'Fallon, Ill., native has played in six games this season, missing three due to an early season injury, and has provided the Tigers with 38 points. Riddle's game-high this season came against Northern Illinois on Nov. 19, where she tallied 11 points in 37 minutes of action. At the line, Riddle is 6 of 8. Riddle hold a 3.16 grade-point average and is undecided on her major. Earlier in the year, Riddle sat down with the children of Grant Elementary School for the school's annual read-a-thon.

The MU women's basketball team will return from break with a Dec. 31, game against Miami (Ohio) beginning at 1 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. Also, returning to competition, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams will travel to Kirksville, Mo., on Jan. 14, for a triangular including Truman State and South Dakota. For ticket information to any of Missouri's upcoming sporting events, visit the website at www.mutigers.com or call 1-800-CAT-PAWS.