In a vote conducted by the 14 members of the 2011-12 Indiana State women's basketball team, seniors Brittany Schoen and Shannon Thomas and junior Taylor Whitley have been selected as team captains for the upcoming season.

"I asked the team to think about being in a foxhole with one other person and what characteristics they would want in that individual," said head coach Teri Moren. "Someone that can motivate you, be a problem solver and have a never-give-up attitude are just some of the characteristics needed when stranded and I see those attributes in our three captains this season.

"Taylor, being a point guard, has to be an extension of the coaching staff on the court, so her leadership skills are always needed. Britt and Shannon are two kids that have led us in scoring a lot in the past and both have a sense of urgency because this is it for them. All three have done a tremendous job of leading the team in the preseason."

Schoen, a 5-foot-6 senior guard from Elizabeth, Ind., enters her final season in ISU blue with 781 career points, including 198 three-pointers. The sharpshooter set the Indiana State single-season record for treys in 2010-11, knocking down 87 from beyond the arc, while sitting in fourth on the career triples list behind Lisa Verhoff (214 - 2002-06), Kourtney Mennen (256 - 1999-2003) and Kelsey Luna (264 - 2006-10). Schoen started all 32 games for the Sycamores last season, averaging 34.0 minutes played per game, good for fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference. For her career, the senior averages 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 three-pointers per game.

Thomas, a 6-foot-4 senior center from Springboro, Ohio, earned Second Team All-MVC and First Team Scholar-Athlete selections following her junior season, as campaign that saw lead the team with averages of 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. A defensive force in the paint, Thomas recorded 75 blocked shots in 2010-11 to claim the ISU career mark with 162 over her three seasons. She enters the season in 12^th in MVC history in career blocks, including just 36 away from the top five. A two-time Prairie Farm / MVC Player of the Week, Thomas' best individual performance came on road against Tennessee Martin on Dec. 19, when the ISU center tallied a 20-20 double-double, with 28 points and 21 rebounds.

Whitley, a 5-foot-9 junior guard from Geneva, Ill., took her game to another level in her sophomore season, nearly doubling her outputs in points (7.6 to 12.1 per game), rebounds (2.8 to 4.5 per game) and assists (2.4 to 4.7 2.4 per game), while improving all three of her shooting percentages (field-goal, three-point and free-throw) from her first to second season at Indiana State. The ISU point guard capped her breakout season by earning selection to the all-tournament team following ISU's run to the semifinals of the State Farm MVC Tournament, as she averaged 22.0 points and 7.3 assists while shooting 56.8% from the field over ISU's three games. Whitley started all 32 games for the Sycamores last season, leading the conference by logging an average of 35.5 minutes per game.

Schoen, Thomas, Whitley and the rest of the Indiana State women's basketball team begin their 2011-12 season on Friday, Nov. 4, with an exhibition matchup with the Bellarmine Knights. ISU opens the regular season the following Friday, Nov. 11, when Indiana State plays Detroit in their first of four games in the Preseason WNIT.