April 24, 2013
ST. LOUIS - Illinois State softball redshirt junior outfielder Nichelle Harrison is a recipient of the Missouri Valley Conference Leadership & Service Award, as announced by the league office Wednesday morning. Harrison is one of 10 student-athletes named by MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin as the honorees for the 2012-13 spring season.
Harrison, an athletic training major, has posted a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average (GPA), while being named to the AFNI Honor Roll in all seven of her semesters at ISU. She is an Illinois State University Scholar, in addition to a Presidential Scholar. Harrison also is a representative on both the Illinois State and MVC Student-Athlete Advisory Committees (SAAC).
The Bloomington, Ill., native has also been active in giving back to her hometown community. She has volunteered as a Salvation Army bell ringer, helped with the Christmas for Kids event (sponsored by the McLean Country Chamber of Commerce) and participated in a family reading night with a local school district.
Athletically, Harrison is enjoying her best season as a Redbird. She has started all 42 games in right field, while batting a career-best .323 with 11 RBI. The Redbirds are 24-18 overall and 9-6 in the Missouri Valley Conference, and will next be in action Thursday for a doubleheader at Indiana State.
In order to be eligible for the award (formerly the Good Neighbor 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 will recognize 10 student-athletes three times annually (fall, winter, spring), for a total of 30 honorees.
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