June 1, 2011
ST. LOUIS - Illinois State junior John Navarro, a member of the cross country and track & field teams, was one of nine Missouri Valley Conference student-athletes named a MVC State Farm Good Neighbor recipient for the 2010-11 spring season, as announced Wednesday by Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin. The award was created in an effort to honor the achievements of exceptional student-athletes in the Valley.
"It is a great honor for John to be given the Good Neighbor Award," said head cross country coach Jeff Bovee. "John is a very selfless person. He is definitely about the team and being the best student-athlete he can be, but is looking for a well-rounded experience. His volunteer work at PATH has been very beneficial to him. He has grown a lot from that, and I am sure the organization has benefited from his involvement as well. I am excited for John. He is a great athlete and a top-performer for our program, as well as an outstanding student."
In order to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing, must demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service, and must participate in a sport during the season of recognition. The Valley recognizes student-athletes three times annually (fall, winter and spring), for a total of 30 honorees.
Navarro has been on the AFNI and MVC honor roll every semester, while working towards a psychology degree and maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of 3.52. Despite his time commitments with school and athletics, Navarro still found time to volunteer over 192 hours at PATH Crisis Center, an organization in Bloomington-Normal that provides access to help save and improve lives 24 hours a day and seven days a week. The Glen Ellen, Ill., native also volunteers at local schools in the State Farm Just Read! program and recess buddies. During the holiday season, Navarro donates his time to help at the Festival of Trees.
During the cross country season, Navarro ran a season-best time of 25:56 at the Bradley Classic and finished the race in 87th place. The junior was a member of the men's cross country team that finished third at the Valley Championships, crossing the finish line in 26:15.87 for 27th place. Navarro ran at the NCAA Regional Championships and was 126th in a personal-best time of 32:59.12.
Navarro ran season-best times in the 1,500-meter run (4:11.80) for 15th place and in the 3,000-meter steeplechase (9:37.01) for sixth place at the 2011 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
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