Southern Illinois University: Newburgh native among SIU athletes to partner with bank

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) - Banterra Bank, one of the nation's largest community banks and based in Southern Illinois, announced a name, image and likeness (NIL) partnership with four Southern Illinois University (SIU) Saluki athletes to further promote the Banterra brand. Officials say each of the four athletes have hometowns within Banterra's six-state footprint, and athlete Jackie Lis of Women's Softball is among the four athletes. Lis is from Newburgh and is majoring in Accounting. She is a junior and a third-year Saluki women's softball player. Banterra says it plans to utilize the athletes in social media - including the athlete's personal platforms and the bank's - TV and radio spots, print materials and potentially outdoor and events. Warrick County Humane Society offering half off adoption fees According to Banterra Bank, during her freshman year at SIU, Lis started in 56 games and was chosen for AlI-MVC First Team, MVC All-Tournament, NFCA All-Region and D1 Softball Freshman All-American. She broke the single-season record for home runs that (17), and added 16 home runs her sophomore year. She also broke records for most home runs in single game (three) and run in single game (eight). As a sophomore, she was selected as MVC Most Valuable Player, All-MVC First Team, MVD Scholar-Athlete of the Year, NFCA Second Team All-Region and CSC Academic All-District. One of Jackie's top values is to hustle; she doesn't want to be outworked Norris City resident helps Forensic Falcons win at Moraine The NIL partnership is part of Banterra's overall commitment to SIU through their naming rights agreement for Banterra Center. The agreement includes an exclusive affinity debit card, which is the official Banterra-SIU Saluki Visa Debit Card. Banterra says it is committed to providing a portion of debit card transaction revenue to SIU Scholarships and NIL efforts for Saluki athletes. "We were able to sit down with these athletes for a dinner and conversation and really get to know them, plus share Banterra's story," said Jeff May, President and CEO of Banterra Bank. "They have a passion for performing at their best, for supporting the community and for SIU, and that perfectly lines up with Banterra's values also. In addition to the overall promotion of our brand, we believe we can improve financial management awareness with this younger demographic through this partnership." From left to right: Shane Carsrud, Senior Banker, Banterra; Jeniah Thompson, Saluki Women's Basketball; Kennard Davis, Saluki Men's Basketball; Damien Mayo Jr., Saluki Men's Basketball; Jackie Lis, Saluki Women's Softball; Jeff May, President & CEO, Banterra; Kristina Scott, Chief Banking Officer, Banterra. (Courtesy: Banterra) "Eyewitness News. Everywhere you are." Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Eyewitness News (WEHT/WTVW).