Stacia Beste of Illinois State (pronounced Stacey Best) has been selected the female recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference's Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award, Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin announced today.
The Missouri Valley Conference Faculty Athletics Representatives Committee selected Beste from a field of league student-athletes, who met the Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award criteria, including academic achievement, athletics excellence and service and leadership.
Beste, a senior from Shorewood, Wis., capped an outstanding track and field career, by finishing eighth in the 10,000-meter run at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn All-America honors.
A 12-time all-conference choice, Beste, who has a 3.90 cumulative grade-point average in psychology, captured six individual league titles -- outdoor 5,000-meter run (2000, 2001, 2002), outdoor 10,000-meter run (2001, 2002), indoor 3,000-meter run (2001), indoor 5,000-meter run (2001) and cross country (2001).
During her final season at Illinois State, Beste won the league cross country title in 2001 and finished 41st at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, received all-conference honors in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races at the 2002 Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, and captured the 5,000- and 10,000-meter run titles at the 2002 league outdoor championships and claimed the Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete award.
A member of the Dean's List every semester at Illinois State, Beste received Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors for cross country twice (1999 and 2001) and three times for track and field (2000, 2001 and 2002).
She was also selected for the Verizon/Academic All-America team twice (2000 and 2001) and the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association Academic All-America team (1999). In 2001, Beste also received the Bone Scholar Award, the highest academic award for an Illinois State University student.
