State Farm MVC Tournament medalist and MVC Golfer of the Year Olivia Lansing of Drake highlights the 2010 MVC Women’s Scholar-Athlete First Team, announced by the league office today.  A total of eight student-athletes earned first-team scholar-athlete honors, and five others earned honorable-mention status.  Of those 13 student-athletes, eight also earned all-conference honors.

Four student-athletes are repeat selections to the league's scholar-athlete unit.  Laura Harris and Stacey Miller of Illinois State, Lansing, and Breanne Smith of Indiana State were all first-team scholar-athlete picks in 2009.  Lansing and Miller were also first-team scholar-athlete selections in 2008.

This year's first team consists of Kelly Amundrud of Bradley, Harris, Britt Knutson and Miller of Illinois State; Mackenzie Mack, Astrid Parsson and Breanne Smith of Indiana State; and Lansing.  Honorable-mention selections include Maggy Hejlek of Creighton; Alisha Matthews of Southern Illinois; Marisa Milligan of Illinois State; Breanne Neufeld of Bradley; and Elena Vukmir of Drake.

The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for academic ESPN the Magazine All-America voting.  Nominees must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale), while the student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team’s rounds or played at the State Farm MVC Championship.

In addition to the eight first-team selections, an additional five student-athletes received honorable mention selection, by virtue of receiving a minimum number of votes.  A total of 27 student-athletes were nominated for women’s golf scholar-athlete honors.  Golf sports information directors in the conference voted for the award.

Illinois State won the Missouri Valley Conference championship, April 18-20, in Newburgh, Ind.

FIRST TEAM, School Yr. GPA Major / Hometown

#Kelly Amundrud, Bradley So. 3.86 Accounting / Calgary (Alberta) Strathcona Tweedsmuir

#+Laura Harris, Illinois State Sr. 3.94 Marketing / New Minas (Nova Scotia) Horton High

#Britt Knutson, Illinois State Sr. 3.94 Business Teacher Education / South Bend (Ind.) Marian

^+#Olivia Lansing, Drake Sr. 3.76 Journalism / Dellwood (Minn.) Mounds Park Acad.

Mackenzie Mack, Indiana State Sr. 3.87 Marketing / Las Vegas (Nev.) Cimmarron Memorial

^+#Stacey Miller, Illinois State Sr. 3.86 Management / Bloomington (Ill.) Central Catholic

Astrid Parsson, Indiana State So. 4.00 Physical Education, Exercise Science / Malmo (Sweden)

#+Breanne Smith, Indiana State Sr. 3.68 Elementary Education / Canby (Ore.) High

Honorable Mention Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Maggy Hejlek, Creighton Jr. 4.00 Pharmacy / St. Louis (Mo.) St. Joseph's Academy

Alisha Matthews, Southern Illinois So. 3.68 Recreation, Sport Management / St. Louis (Mo.) Mehlville High

#Marisa Milligan, Illinois State Sr. 3.38 Biological Sciences / Normal (Ill.) University High / Auburn

#Breanne Neufeld, Bradley Jr. 3.41 English / Coaldale (Alberta) Kate Andrews

Elena Vukmir, Drake Sr. 3.83 Business Finance / Wauwatosa (Wis.) Divine Savior Holy Angels

^2008 first-team scholar-athlete selection; +2009 first-team scholar-athlete selection; #2010 all-conference pick