Eastern Illinois University Athletics

2012-13: Finished her Panther career with an 8-7 overall singles record, which included a nice 5-3 OVC mark... split time between No. 5 and No. 6 spots in the lineup... earned an impressive 10-2 duo tally, including a nearly perfect 5-1 OVC record, when teamed with newcomer Ali Foster at No. 3 doubles.

2011-12: Went 8-10 on the year in singles action, where she saw action at both the No. 5 and No. 6 spot in the lineup... was teamed with Amanda Dibbs, Sephora Boulbahaiem and Annie Egan in doubles, going 4-13 on the year while playing mostly at No. 3 duos... OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

2010-11: Saw limited play in singles, going 1-4... mostly played at the No. 6 spot... earned 2-4 doubles mark, playing evenly at No. 2 and No. 3 duos with Shannon Brooks, Cara Huck and Amanda Dibbs... OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, including Medal of Honor recognition.

2009-10: Finished with a 2-5 singles mark as a true freshman... saw action at both the No. 5 and No. 6 spot in the lineup... earned an even 5-5 tally for doubles, playing mostly at No. 3 duos alongside Shannon Brooks, where the twosome went 1-3 in OVC play... OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

HS: Attended Normal Community High School where she graduated in 2009... earned four varsity letters under coach Jim Boswell... was the team’s co-captain in both her junior and senior seasons... won the Ironman Award for her team as a junior and senior as well... shined academically becoming an IHSA scholar for three seasons and won the IHSA Scholastic Achievement award in her final two years... won the Big 12 Conference Scholar Athlete award three times... she was a member of the National Honor Society... part of a sectional championship team for three seasons... helped her team to the Big 12 Conference championship all four seasons... played on USTA Junior Team Tennis in 2008.

PERSONAL: Business major... daughter of Linda Laird... her No. 1 sports moment has been “going to the state tennis tournament in doubles during my sophomore, junior and senior seasons”... her parents have been her greatest influence, “because they are always there sitting by the court cheering me on”... she most admires her high school coach, Jim Boswell, “because he was always encouraging and giving good advice during tough matches.... he is a great coach and a great person”... her older sister, Kelsey, played tennis for SIU Edwardsville.

OFF THE COURT WITH KRISTEN: Chose to come to EIU “because it was close to home, plus I liked the campus and facilities and wanted to play tennis”... currently drives a 2002 Mazda 626... favorite foods are ice cream and Chinese and Mexican dishes... doesn’t like spinach or tomatoes... her favorite musical performers are Taylor Swift and Jason Aldean... if given the opportunity to switch places with an athlete for a day, she would choose Serena Williams, “just to see what it would be like to play like a pro and have everyone watching”... her favorite building on campus is the Student Rec Center... some of her favorite hobbies include scrapbooking, being with friends and family, and traveling... she lives by the motto, “everything happens for a reason”… her goals at EIU are “to maintain a good GPA and improve on my tennis game"... her family own a dog and cat named 'Kasey' and 'Meeko', respectively.