Nov. 3, 2009

St. Louis, Mo. - 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. Ten 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 22).

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
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., 3.360 Computer Science, Springfield, Ill.
22. Brad Wrage, Southern Illinois Jr., 3.719 Mechanical Engineering, Yates City, Ill.

Women's Scholar Athlete Team
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.