EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women's Basketball junior guard Vanessa Shafford (Linton, Indiana) and redshirt senior guard Addy Blackwell (Bloomington, Indiana) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division I. The two guards earned their first CSC Academic All-District Award.
 
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at minimum a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
 
Shafford, a Kinesiology major, started every game and paced USI this season in points, rebounding, steals, and minutes played. Within the Ohio Valley Conference, Shafford finished eighth in overall scoring and top 10 in league play. The junior was also top five in the OVC in rebounding while ranking among the top of the conference in three-point shooting. The guard dropped a career-high 26 points twice this season and was named OVC co-Player of the Week on January 9. Following the conclusion of the regular season, Shafford was selected to the All-OVC First Team.
 
Blackwell made a strong return to the USI lineup this season after missing all of the 2022-23 campaign due to injury. Blackwell started every game, registering 18 minutes per contest. The floor general averaged over five points and nearly two rebounds while totaling 44 assists and 18 steals. Blackwell also shot 35 percent and surpassed 100 career three-pointers earlier this season. The senior already has an undergraduate degree in accounting and professional services and is working on her graduate degree in business administration.
 
The two players helped lead USI to a 25-win season, a 17-1 conference record, two Ohio Valley Conference championships (regular season and tournament) – the first-ever OVC team championships in USI Athletics history – and the program's first berth and win in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).