NORMAL, Ill. – Rachel Tejada and Colton Underwood won two of the seven awards conferred at The Reggies Sunday night, as Illinois State celebrated the athletic and academic success of its student-athletes during the 2013-14 academic year at the annual academic excellence awards ceremony, sponsored by State Farm Insurance Companies.
Tejada, a member of the soccer team, was the recipient of the Jill Hutchison Female Athlete of the Year Award, while Underwood, a member of the ISU football team, won the Milt Weisbecker Male Athlete of the Year Award.
Nominees for the Jill Hutchison Female Athlete of the Year Award were: Rachael Brewer (cross country), Laura Canopy (softball), Sami King (gymnastics), Chloe Nelson (basketball), Emily Orrick (volleyball), Wenting Zhang (swimming and diving) and Kristen Zillmer (track and field). Nominees for the Milt Weisbecker Male Athlete of the Year were: Paul DeJong (baseball), Wils Hawn (golf) and Curt Jensen (track and field).
Tejada was named the Missouri Valley Conference's Player of the Year for the third-consecutive season in 2013 after another stellar campaign. Tejada led the Redbirds to their third-straight MVC Tournament title and the second regular-season title during her career, as a junior in 2013. She broke the league's points record, and positioned herself to break the Valley's goals and assists records in as a senior in 2014.
Underwood capped his career with 66 tackles, including 12 tackles for loss, as a senior member of the Redbird football team. The defensive end was named an All-American for the second time and was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, honoring the top defensive player in FCS, for the second-straight year in 2013. Underwood signed a contract with the NFL's San Diego Chargers in May and is currently a member of the team's practice squad.
Anna Stinson, another member of the ISU soccer team, was named the winner of the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award on Sunday. Parker Freiburg, of the men's golf team, took the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.
Nominees for the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were: Sara Bradley (softball), Hayley Guyton (golf), Maggie Kopp (swimming and diving), Ashley Rosch (volleyball), Nelson (basketball) and King (gymnastics). Nominees for the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award were: Chris Highland (football) and DeJong (baseball).
Stinson earned all-conference honors for the fourth-consecutive season as a senior. The exercise science major was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, received the MVC's Dr. Charlotte West Award, and was selected as the Valley's Woman of the Year in 2013-14. She also earned the MVC Elite 18 Award, honoring the student-athlete with the highest grade-point average (GPA) at a Valley Championship, for the third-straight year.
Freiburg earned all-conference honors, while helping the ISU men's golf team to a second-place finish at the MVC Championship, as a senior. The professional accountancy major was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar in July.
The winner of the Impact Award, honoring a student-athlete committed to excellence, leadership, academics and community, was Kelly McShea, a member of the women's cross country and track and field teams. Other nominees for the award were: Nichelle Harrison (softball), Katy Winge (women's basketball), King (gymnastics), Nelson (women's basketball) and Zillmer (cross country/track and field).
The Dr. Jim Johnson Phoenix Award went to Ryan Bybee, a member of the men's cross country and track and field teams. The award, recently renamed in honor of the longtime Illinois State professor and academic coordinator who passed away in 2013, is presented annually to a student-athlete who has overcome academic challenges. Danci Cha, of the gymnastics team, was also a nominee for the Dr. Jim Johnson Phoenix Award.
The Good Neighbor Award went to Guyton, a member of the women's golf team, who was also a nominee for the Linda Herman Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. The Good Neighbor Award is presented to a student-athlete who has demonstrated commitment to excellence in athletics, service to others and personal conduct. Other nominees for the award were: Brianna Cooper (women's golf), Kristin Horney (swimming and diving), Scott Kuehn (football), Aryn Newsom (soccer), Lindsay Smith (women's basketball) and Orrick (volleyball).
Sunday's awards were presented by members of the administrative staffs at both Illinois State and State Farm, and included Illinois State President Dr. Larry Dietz and Director of Athletics Larry Lyons.
Illinois State student-athletes posted a combined GPA of 3.11 during the Fall 2013 semester, as 258 student-athlete were named to the AFNI Honor Roll. Redbird student-athletes turned in a GPA of 3.13 in the Spring 2014 semester, as 247 were named to the honor roll.
In addition to their success in the classroom, Illinois State student-athletes provided over 2,500 hours of community service during the 2013-14 academic year.
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