ST. LOUIS, Mo. – A league-leading 18 Illinois State student-athletes earned the highest academic award given by the Missouri Valley Conference, the league announced with the release of its annual academic awards on Monday.
Illinois State student-athletes Collin Braithwaite (baseball), Bryce Grimm (baseball), Connor Ehnle (men's track & field/cross country), Wesley Ward (men's track & field/cross country), Jason Marrs (men's golf), Andreas Boers (men's tennis), Tye Sutherland (men's track & field), Erica Brown (women's track & field/cross country), Kiley Walsh (women's golf), Alyssa Bossle (gymnastics), Megan Knoernschild (gymnastics), Megan Kozlow (soccer), Kelly Miller (soccer), Lauren Prader (softball), Kristin Verkler (swimming & diving), Valerija Gercar (women's tennis), Jaelyn Keene (volleyball) and Elianna Lovejoy (volleyball) all earned the MVC President's Council Academic Award, presented to student-athletes who have maintained a cumulative grade-point average (GPA) of 3.8 or higher through the spring semester, participated in athletics for at least two years and are within 18 credit hours of graduation.
An impressive 83 Redbirds received the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award, honoring student-athletes who maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher over the previous two semesters and a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. Illinois State also placed 235 student-athletes on the MVC Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes who recorded a GPA of 3.2 or higher in either semester during the 2017-18 academic year, while completing at least 12 credit hours during that semester.
Student-athletes from every Illinois State athletic team, with the exception of the football team, were represented in the MVC's announcement of academic awards. The Missouri Valley Football Conference announced its academic awards on Feb. 16, as 50 Redbirds earned honor roll recognition. Brannon Barry, Cole Bumpus, Bryce Holm, Matt McCown and Donavin O'Day collected the league's highest academic award, the MVFC President's Council Academic Excellence Award. Â
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