ST. LOUIS -- Senior Adam Emmenecker is the 2008 MVC Prairie Farms Scholar-Athlete of the Year, announced today by the league office.  Emmenecker, who was recently named the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic Al-American of the Year by CoSIDA, carries a 3.97 cumulative grade point average while majoring in four subjects.

 Earlier this week, the former walk-on was named the league's Larry Bird MVC Player of the Year.  Emmenecker set the Drake single-season assist mark at 177, bettering the previous record of 174 set by Al Stewart last year.  His 6.10 per game average led the Missouri Valley Conference.  Perhaps the most improbable MVC Player of the Year (based on pre-season expectations) in league history, Emmenecker entered the season with 64 career assists and 57 total points in his three previous seasons at Drake, which featured 58 games and two starts.  This year, the senior started every game for Drake and led the team in minutes.  His single-season marks this year of 223 points, 129 rebounds and 177 assists all more than doubled his cumulative career totals.

 Emmenecker has helped the Bulldogs to a 25-4 overall mark and 15-3 conference record as Drake earned the tournament's top seed for the first time in the league's 32-year tournament history.  At one point this year, Drake had won a school-record 21-straight games.