NORMAL, Ill. – The cross country and track and field teams celebrated the accomplishments of the 2015-16 season Sunday evening at their annual banquet. The men's cross country team finished second at the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Championships, while the women's track and field team won the Indoor MVC Championship title. The Redbirds broke six school records, qualified 18 student-athletes to the NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifiers and one alone NCAA Championships qualifier.Â
The Illinois State track and field coaching staff present seven awards recognizing a male and female student-athlete. The seven awards are newcomer of the year in cross country, most valuable in cross country, newcomer of the year in track and field, outstanding track athlete, outstanding field athlete, most valuable athlete in track and field and the excellence award.
Newcomer of the Year in Cross Country
The newcomer of the year award is awarded to a student-athlete based on the combined total points scored at the MVC, proving himself or herself a valuable member of the team. In addition, the newcomer of the year must demonstrate great potential through talent, hard work, desire, passion, determination and a positive attitude. The 2015-16 recipients were Erica Brown and Kyle Mattes.
Brown transferred to ISU from Texas Tech and finished 37th at the MVC Cross Country Championships, where she posted her best 5k time of the season at 18:21. Brown also raced with her teammates at the NCAA Midwest Cross Country Regional, where she helped the team finished 11th overall.
Mattes competed as a redshirt freshman during the 2015 cross country season and was named the MVC Freshman of the Year for his 10th-place performance at the MVC Championships. Mattes captured his personal-best 8K time of 24:25, contributing to the men's second-place finish. His performance also ranks 10th on the all-time best list at ISU in the 8K. Mattes advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, where he was the top finisher for the Redbirds with a 10K time of 31:16 and placed 46th overall.
Most Valuable Athlete in Cross Country
The most valuable athlete of the year award for cross country is chosen based on the combined total points scored at the MVC, NCAA Regional and NCAA National meets. Ariel Michalek and Tyler Morse received the 2015-16 most valuable athlete awards in cross country.
Michalek was the runner-up at the 2015 MVC Cross Country Championship while breaking the ISU 5K school record with a time of 16:57. Michalek finished her season placing 44th at the NCAA Regional. Ariel's 6k time of 20:45, which she ran at the Bradley Classic, ranks in the top three at ISU.
Morse finished seventh at the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Championship to receive All-MVC honors while pacing his team to a second-place finish. Morse is ranked fourth on the ISU's all-time best list in the 8K with a time of 24:13.
Newcomer of the Year in Track and Field
The most valuable athlete of the year award in track and field is chosen based on the combined total points scored at the Indoor MVC and Outdoor MVC. The two standouts recipients were Amanda McClain and Shandall Thomas for their contributions to the Redbirds during their freshmen campaigns.
McClain scored a total of 27.5 points combined at the Indoor and Outdoor MVC Championships. McClain won both the indoor and outdoor title in the long jump, along with contributing to the winning indoor 4x400-meter relay, who broke the championships and ISU school record. McClain also made the finals in the open 400-meter dash and also helped break the school records in the 4x400-meter relay (indoor and outdoor) and the distance relay record. She ran the second leg at the indoor championship, as she was part of the squad that broke the MVC Championships record along with helping the women's team clinch the team title. McClain closed her freshman campaign at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Lawrence, Kansas, where she competed in the long jump and 4x400-meter relay.
Thomas scored a total of 20.5 points at the Indoor and Outdoor MVC Championships. Thomas earned All-MVC honors in the 60-meter dash, as he ran a personal-best time of 6.72, which tied the school record. During the outdoor season, Thomas ran personal-best performances in the 100-meter dash (10.38) and 200-meter dash (20.99), which rank fourth and eighth on ISU's all-time best list. Thomas ran the anchoring leg of the 4x100-meter relay team, who won the MVC title and is ranked second all-time at ISU. Thomas qualified for three events at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, which is the most out of any Redbird during the season. He ran the 100 meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay.
Outstanding Track Athletes of the Year
The outstanding track athlete of the year is chosen based on combined total points scored at the Indoor MVC, Outdoor MVC, NCAA Regionals, NCAA Nationals, post season accomplishments, as well as leadership skills on the track. Kelly McShea and Ryan Rutherford were the 2015-16 recipients of the outstanding track athlete of the year.
McShea scored 22 points during her final season with the Redbirds. She was the MVC champion in the indoor mile and finished third in the 3,000-meter dash, an All-MVC performance that boosted the women's team to their indoor team title. At the outdoor championship, McShea finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to advance to the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Rutherford scored 36 points this season at the indoor and outdoor championships. At the Indoor Championships, he captured the 5,000-meter run event title and was the runner-up in 3,000-meter run. During the outdoor season, Rutherford won the 10,000m MVC title and was the runner-up in the 5,000 meter. Rutherford is the school record holder in both events: 10,000 meter (28:41.23); 5,000 meter (13:49.99). He qualified for the West Preliminary Round in the 10,000-meter run, where he finished 10th, earning a spot at the NCAA National Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Outstanding Field Athletes of the Year
The outstanding field athlete of the year is chosen based on combined total points scored at the Indoor MVC, Outdoor MVC, NCAA Regionals, NCAA Nationals and post season accomplishments, as well as leadership skills on the field. Emily Clay and James Brandenburg were named ISU's outstanding field athletes of 2015-16 season.
Clay transferred to ISU from South Florida, and though she only spent one year as a Redbird, she certainly made her time count. Clay scored 20 points at the MVC Championships, as she won both the indoor and outdoor women's pole vault titles. Clay left her mark in the record books, as she ranks second on the all-time indoor list (4.01m/13-01.50) and holds the school record in the outdoor (4.12/13-6.50). Clay concluded her career at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Brandenburg competed as a multi-athlete during the 2015-16 season. During his freshman campaign, he finished sixth in the heptathlon (4988) and the decathlon (6085) at the indoor and outdoor championships. He set personal-best scores in the heptathlon and decathlon, which ranks in the top five on ISU's all-time best list. To put that in perspective, that is around 600 points more than most athletes score during their freshman year.
Most Valuable Athletes in Track and Field
This year, the most valuable athletes in track and field were Sarah Mussallem and Anderson Devonish.
The MVP athlete of the year are awarded to individuals based solely on the combined total points scored at the indoor and outdoor MVC championships.
Mussallem scored 28 points this season for the women's team at the indoor and outdoor championships. She won the indoor 400-meter dash title in a time of 54.86, which ranks second in school history. Mussallem also anchored the women's 4x400-meter relay team that captured the MVC title and broke the ISU record and MVC championships record at a time of 3:42.05. At the outdoor championships, Mussallem was the runner-up in the 400-meter dash with a personal- best time of 53.62, which also ranks second on the all-time best list. She also ran in the 4x100-meter relay team that placed second and anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay squad. Mussallem closed out her senior campaign at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, where she competed in the 400 meter and 4x400-meter relay.
This is the second year in a row that Devonish received this honor. He scored 41.5 points for the Redbirds at both the MVC indoor and outdoor championships. At the indoor championships, Devonish was champion in the 400-meter dash, runner-up in the 200 meter and anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay team. At the outdoor championships, Devonish raced in four events for the Redbirds and produced four All-MVC performances. He was the runner-up in the 200 meter, 400 meter and a member of the title-winning 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay squads. Devonish concluded his season at the NCAA first round in the 400 meter, 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay.
The Excellence Award
The excellence award is an honor presented to the male and female student-athletes that consistently illustrate the characteristics it takes to succeed at this level: hard work, discipline, determination, desire, dedication, a positive attitude and integrity. The recipients of the 2015-16 excellence award were J.D. LaFayette and Jackie Mink.
LaFayette notched two top-10 performances during the 2015-16 season. During the indoor season, he posted an 800-meter run at a time of 1:49.47, which is ranked second on the all-time best list. At the MVC indoor championships, LaFayette was the MVC champion in the 800-meter run and helped the Redbirds earn All-MVC honors in the distance medley relay. Equally impressive in the classroom, LaFayette was awards the MVC Elite 18 Award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average competing at MVC championships. He also was named the 2016 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Division I Men's Track & Field/Cross Country third team selection.
Mink earned five ISU top-10 performances during the 2015-16, including one school record. She helped the Redbirds snap the women's distance medley school record at a time of 11:28.20. During the indoor season, Mink tied for sixth in the 800-meter run on the all-time best list with a time of 2:11.90. She finished fourth in the 1,000-meter run at a time of 2:53.39 and ran 4:54.72 in the mile run to be ranked ninth at ISU. At the MVC indoor championships, Mink notched All-MVC honors, as she finished third in the 800-meter run. During the outdoor season, she ran personal-best time of 2:07.57 in the 800 to be ranked third on the ISU's best list and also ran on the 4x800-meter relay team at the Drake Relays that nearly missed the school record (8:46.30) at a time of 8:46.47.
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