The Missouri Valley Conference has announced the 2009 cross country Scholar-Athlete teams, following the completion of the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship last weekend in Peoria, Ill., at the Newman Golf Course.
Scholar-Athlete honors require athletes to meet performance standards, as the top-10 finishers at the conference championship earn all-conference honors and are included on the Scholar-Athlete team, provided they meet the set criteria, while other athletes must finish among the first 20 runners at the conference championship and hold a cumulative 3.2 GPA and be a sophomore in athletic and academic standing to earn a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team.
Notably, both individual champions are on the scholar-athlete team, including Illinois State's Scott Krapf and Missouri State's Terry Phillips -- both, ironically, also sport the only perfect 4.0 GPAs of the honorees. Eleven men's student-athletes met the criteria, while 12 student-athletes are on the women's team. Indiana State has the most honorees, claiming five on the men's team and four of the women's honorees (9 of the total 23).
Teams will compete in NCAA Regional action on Saturday, Nov. 14, at various sites, with the NCAA Championship on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. In the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association regional rankings, five women's teams are ranked in the Midwest Region, including Wichita State (8), Illinois State (11), Bradley (12), Missouri State (14), and Southern Illinois (15). In the men's rankings, Southern Illinois is the topped-ranked Valley school, clocking in at No. 6 in the Midwest Region. Illinois State is 13th, and Indiana State, fresh off an MVC team title, is rated No. 8 in the Great Lakes.
| MEN'S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM* |
Yr., Major, GPA, Hometown |
| 1. Scott Krapf, Illinois State |
Gr., 4.000 Recreation & Park Administration, Danville, Ill. |
| 4. Eric Schulz, Indiana State |
Sr., 3.228 Communication, New Albany, Ind. |
| 5. Scott Keeney, Indiana State |
Sr., 3.966 Mathematics, Frankfort, Ind. |
| 6. Jeremiah Vaughan, Indiana State |
So., 3.643 Athletic Training, Brookville, Ind. |
| 7. Michael Disher, Indiana State |
Jr., 3.417 Physical Therapy, Indianapolis, Ind. |
| 9. Dan Dunbar, Southern Illinois |
Jr., 3.864 Radio-Television, O'Fallon, Ill. |
| 10. Craig Padgett, Indiana State |
So., 3.500 Pre-Veterinary, Mishawaka, Ind. |
| 11. Jason Ordway, Southern Illinois |
Sr., 3.868 Physiology, Holgate, Ohio |
| 17. Alex Mark, Northern Iowa |
So., 3.82 Biology, Cedar Falls, Iowa |
| 18. Neal Anderson, Southern Illinois |
So., 3.36 Computer Science, Springfield, Ill. |
| 22. Brad Wrage, Southern Illinois |
Jr., 3.719 Mechanical Engineering, Yates City, Ill. |
| WOMEN'S SCHOLAR-ATHLETE TEAM* |
Yr., Major, GPA, Hometown |
| 1. Terry Phillips, Missouri State |
So., 4.00 Biochemistry, Kansas City, Mo. |
| 7. Allison Malone, Indiana State |
Jr., 3.900 History, Rensselaer, Ind. |
| 8. Sarah Glowacki, Illinois State |
Jr., 3.42 Exercise Science, Wauwatosa, Wis. |
| 9. Casey McDermott, Drake |
Jr., 3.32 Psychology, Newton, Iowa |
| 10. Kirsten Lang, Illinois State |
Jr., 3.60 Middle Level Teacher Education, St. Charles, Ill. |
| 13. Rachel York, Wichita State |
Sr., 3.61 Anthropology & Criminal Justice, St. Clair, Mo. |
| 15. Julia Costello, Indiana State |
Sr., 3.750 Social Science Education, Clinton, Ind. |
| 16. Megan Hoelscher, Southern Illinois |
Jr., 3.783 Civil Engineering, Effingham, Ill. |
| 17. Olivia Martinez, Wichita State |
Sr., 3.21 Undecided, Amarillo, Texas |
| 18. Aisha Praught, Illinois State |
So., 3.48 Geology, Moline, Ill. |
| 19. Kayla Alexander, Indiana State |
Sr., 3.612 Special Education, Terre Haute, Ind. |
| 20. Kacie Klem, Indiana State |
So., 3.983 Open Preference, Huntingburg, Ind. |
*number indicates individual place at the State Farm MVC Championship.
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Courtesy: The Valley
