Givens was a First Team Academic All-America selection after garnering Second Team honors in 2006. The Monroe, La., native graduated in three years from Middle Tennessee with a bachelor's in Criminal Justice and a 3.89 grade-point-average. She is currently working on her master's in Sociology.

"It is one of those awards that I take dear to my heart because my academics are one of the most important things to me," Givens said. "I will miss practice for a class because academics is number one. To get recognized for what I have done on the court as well as off the court is a real honor."

Givens added to a long list of athletic accomplishments during her career at Middle Tennessee on Tuesday, earning First Team All-Sun Belt honors as well as Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year recognition. The Monroe, La., native becomes the first player since Louisiana Tech's Amanda Wilson in 1997-98 and 1998-99 to register back-to-back SBC Player of the Year honors (Louisiana Tech's Vickie Johnson, 1994-95, 1995-96 was the other) and the first player in Sun Belt history to garner two consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards.

Former teammate Patrice Holmes is the only other player in league history to win the defensive award twice in a career (2002-03, 2004-05) and with Givens' honor, Middle Tennessee has won the last five SBC Defensive Player of the Year awards (Keisha McClinic won the other in 2003-04).

Givens was voted the Preseason Player of the Year and lived up to the billing, averaging 22.2 points per game along with 6.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.0 steals. She currently leads the Blue Raiders in all four categories and ranks fourth nationally in scoring, 64th in assists and 17th in steals.

Givens was named the All-American of the Year by a group of 120 voters comprised of the CoSIDA Board of Directors as well as the Academic All-America national committee members. Past winners of the All-American of the Year include:
2006 - Lindsey Shearer, Kent State
2005 - Kate Endress, Ball State
2004 - Kelly Mazzante, Penn State
2003 - Kristine Austgulen, VCU
2002 - Stacey Dales, Oklahoma
2001 - Ruth Riley, Notre Dame
2000 - Lisa Baswell, Jacksonville State
1999 - Stephanie White-McCarty, Purdue
1998 - Lisa Davies, Southwest Missouri State
1997 - Jennifer Howard, N.C. State
1996 - Jennifer Rizzotti, Connecticut
1995 - Rebecca Lobo, Connecticut
1994 - Kristen Maskala, Marquette
1993 - Karen Jennings, Nebraska
1992 - Karen Jennings, Nebraska
1991 - Jan Jensen, Drake
1990 - Stephanie Kasperski, Oregon
1989 - Michelle Flamoe, Oregon State
1988 - Michelle Flamoe, Oregon State

2006-07 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America
Women's Basketball
University Division
First Team
Betsy Rietema, Valparaiso, 3.97 GPA, Psychology and Chemistry
Chrissy Givens, Middle Tennessee, 3.89 GPA, Criminal Justice
Leslie Cook, High Point, 4.0 GPA, Business Administration-Finance
Sarah VanMetre, Eastern Michigan, 3.90 GPA, Journalism
Kenan Cole, George Washington, 3.92 GPA, Mechanical Engineering

Second Team
Shay Doron, Maryland, 3.67 GPA, Criminology & Criminal Justice
Jackie McFarland, Colorado, 3.95 GPA, Accounting
Carrie Moore, Western Michigan, 3.79 GPA, Journalism
Tyler McIlwraith, Saint Louis, 3.93 GPA, Early Childhood Education
Megan Vogel, South Dakota State, 3.83 GPA, Health, Physical Education and Recreation
Candace Parker, Tennessee, 3.29 GPA, Sport Management
Joanna Chadd, Eastern Washington, 3.96 GPA, Exercise Science

Third Team
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland, 3.40 GPA, Communication
Lori Bjork, Illinois, 3.94 GPA, Political Science
Laura Rudolphi, Indiana State, 4.00 GPA, Business Administration

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