June 2, 2009
ST. LOUIS -
The Missouri Valley Conference 800-meter run champion sophomore Michelle Brunk highlighted the Illinois State track and field team members on the 2009 MVC Track & Field Scholar Athlete teams, as announced by the conference office Tuesday. In total, the Redbirds had seven women and five men named to the scholar-athlete teams.
Brunk, a Spanish major, owns a 3.93 cumulative grade-point average (GPA). She was a two-time All-MVC selection in the indoor distance medley relay and the outdoor 800-meter run. Brunk qualified to compete at the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, where she concluded her season in the 800 with a 24th-place finish.
"We have several kids that do well, but Michelle is really focused on her academics and the outdoor 800," said head coach Elvis Forde. "She is one of those kids that excels academically as well as athletically. We have a lot of great student's from top to bottom on our roster and we just have to make sure that we get them prepared in the track and field and cross country circles as well as for their futures."
Amanda Albrecht was named all-conference in both the indoor and outdoor high jump. The sophomore holds a 3.17 GPA in special education and cleared a personal-best 5 feet, 7 inches at the MVC Outdoor Championships for a second-place finish.
Sophomore Kirsten Lang collected her first NCAA Regional qualifying performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:45.19 at the Valley Championships; earning a fifth-place finish and a career-best performance. Lang has a 3.67 GPA in secondary education and turned in a seventh-place finish in the 5,000-meter run during the indoor championships.
Morgan Schaefer earned a third-place finish in the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon at the Valley Championships. The junior is a nursing major and holds a 3.69 GPA. Senior Megan Thompson earned all-conference recognition with a third-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles. Thompson graduated with a 3.35 GPA in public relations.
Rounding out the Redbirds on the women's scholar-athlete team were sophomore Jess Husted, 3.66, elementary education and junior Kami Klopfenstein, 3.86, exercise science.
On the men's side, junior Scott Krapf highlighted the Redbirds academic achievements with a perfect 4.0 GPA in recreation and sport management. Krapf did not compete during the outdoor season, but earned all-conference honors in both the 3,000- and 5,000-meter runs at the indoor championships.
"An athlete of Scott Krapf's magnitude who is involved in so many things and carries a perfect 4.0 throughout his career here speaks volumes of him as a student and an athlete," said Forde.
Senior Mike Richardson finished sixth in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter races at the Valley Indoor Championships, and also holds a 3.09 GPA in health education to earn scholar-athlete recognition. Sophomore John Navarro was fifth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Valley Championships with a time of 9:16.60. Navarro holds a 3.76 GPA in psychology.
Senior Carl Azab (3.33 GPA, physical education); and sophomore Colin Fane (3.23, elementary education) round out the Redbirds who gained scholar-athlete distinction. Azab finished fourth in the 400-meter hurdles at the outdoor championships, while Fane was eighth in the shot put with a season-best throw of 50-8 at the indoor championships.
Scholar-Athlete honors require performance standards to be met, as well as academic standards. Student-athletes with a 3.0 cumulative GPA and who are a sophomore in athletic and academic standing and finish among the top-eight at either the MVC Indoor or Outdoor Track & Field Championships are included on the Scholar-Athlete team. To be named a member of the all-conference team, student-athletes must finish in the top-three of any event at the MVC Championship meet.
A total of 119 student-athletes were named to the 2009-09 Track & Field Scholar-Athlete team, with at least one athlete from each Valley school earning the honor. Southern Illinois and Wichita State led the way with 26 student-athletes being named to the Scholar-Athlete team.
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