ST. LOUIS Illinois State seniors Jess Husted and Olivia Myers, and junior Blake Brooks, along with sophomore Samantha Bluske were named to the 2010 Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Scholar-Athlete teams, as announced by the conference office Tuesday. The Redbirds earned the honors after the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Cross Country Championships last weekend in Augusta, Kan., at the RAFT Golf Course.
Husted finished the 5K race in a time of 18:00.25, which put her in 11th place, while Myers was four seconds behind in 14th place (18:04.98). Husted holds a 3.61 GPA in elementary education, while Myers has a 3.91 GPA in recreation and park administration. Bluske, who has a 3.5 GPA in accounting, ran the race in 18:06.37 and finished in 15th place.
Brooks covered the course in 25:25.53 and finished in 15th place and maintains a 3.33 GPA in finance.
MVC Scholar-Athlete honors require student-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.
The men's and women's teams are ranked No. 12 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Midwest Region polls. The No. 12 seed is a three spot increase for the men's team.
The Illinois State men's and women's cross country teams will compete Saturday, Nov. 13, at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Peoria, Ill.
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