Sept. 8, 2005
NORMAL, Ill. -
His performance at the Early Bird Invitational at Macomb, Ill. on Sept. 3, did more than earn Illinois State cross country standout Dan Tripp second place honors. His finish, in addition to his work in the classroom, garnered Tripp the first men's Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athlete of the Week Award this year.
Tripp, a senior from Belleville, Ontario, placed second overall on Saturday, enabling the Redbirds to tie for the team championship at the four-team meet. His time of 18:47 in the 6K race was five seconds off the winning performance. Additionally, Tripp is on top in the classroom, boasting a 3.57 cumulative grade point average in physical education.
On the women's side, Creighton's Leah Ratzlaff, a senior volleyball player, claimed the women's scholar-athlete of the week award.
Illinois State head coach Chris Bailey believes Tripp is deserving of the honor, as his work ethic extends across all his commitments.
"I think that this award is really a testament to how hard Dan works in the classroom as well as on the field," said Bailey. "Dan obviously had a good weekend for us, was our top runner and helped us tie for first. This accomplishment is really a testament to how hard Dan works for Illinois State."
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