Illinois State senior thrower Rhett Hillard, fresh off his Missouri Valley Conference title in the shot put, will have one more shot at going to the NCAA Indoor Championships when he competes at a national qualifying meet in Ames, Iowa on Saturday.
Hillard, a native of LeRoy, Ill., currently holds the 42nd best mark in the nation at 58-6, a mark he accomplished at the McDonalds Invite on Feb. 5. It was the second best throw in school history behind Bruce Ewens throw of 60-0 1/2 in 1983.
Last Saturday, Hillard earned his second conference title with the Redbirds, winning the shot put at the State Farm/MVC Indoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of 57-6 1/4.
Were not looking to really change anything this weekend, Hillard said. Its going to be different being the only one from the team up there, but this is a chance to get three more throws in and have a chance to go to nationals.
In addition to capturing the shot put title, Hillard also earned Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week honors for the second time this season as announced by the conference offices Tuesday. This is the fifth time in two years that Hillard has been honored with Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar Athlete of the Week accolades. He holds a 3.25 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in business administration.
The coaches definitely stress the fact that were students before athletes, Hillard said. Sometimes its not always easy, but its always been my first focus.
Head coach Elvis Forde has been pleased with Hillards accomplishments during the past week.
Rhett is deserving of any academic award given to him, Forde said. Hes been successful in the classroom ever since hes been here, and he excelled this past week at the Valley Championships, winning the shot put. Winning the scholar athlete of the week award right after the championships is a great recognition.
To qualify for Prairie Farms/MVC Scholar Athlete of the week honors, student-athletes must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0, complete at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing. In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.
