ST. LOUIS – Illinois State track & field senior Derek Wegman is one of two student-athletes highlighted in this week's Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, presented by Enterprise Bank and Trust Company, the league announced Wednesday. Wegman is the now the second member of the ISU track and field team to be recognized this year, joining J.D. LaFayette, who received the honor last fall.
A recreation management major and athletic coaching minor, Wegman has maintained an impressive 3.86 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) over the course of his career. On the track, he earned All-MVC honors at the 2019 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships after a third-place finish in the high jump, helping the Redbirds to back-to-back indoor MVC team titles. He also scored points in the high jump at the 2016 Indoor, 2016 Outdoor, and 2017 Outdoor Valley Track & Field Championships, as well as in the heptathlon at the 2018 Indoor MVC Championships.
Wegman has been extremely involved in the community as well, giving back through a variety of organizations. He has served as a pen-pal with Oakdale Elementary, sending and receiving letters with at-risk students in efforts to build a positive relationship. Wegman has also been a recess buddy at Glenn Elementary and Grove Elementary, where he has met with students during recess hours to interact with them and make their day brighter.
He has particularly enjoyed the coaching experiences he's had, having coached several basketball teams at the 3rd – 5th grade level. Wegman has also applied his track and field prowess to coaching, assisting with the high jump at Tri-Valley High School's track and field practices.
On campus, Wegman is a member of the Rho Phi Lambda Honor Society, an honorary fraternity for recreation, park, and leisure services students. He was also chosen to attend the highly-selective NCAA Career in Sports Forum at the NCAA Headquarters in Indianapolis last summer.
Although Wegman's time as a Redbird student-athlete is coming to an end, he won't be leaving ISU just yet. Wegman plans on attending graduate school for sport management in the fall at ISU, while serving as a graduate assistant in the academic study center.
To qualify for the MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, student-athletes must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.20, have completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution, and be at least a sophomore in academic standing. Redshirt freshmen and first-year transfers are not eligible. In addition to academic qualifications, student-athletes are evaluated on their campus involvement and community service.
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will be back in action this week when they travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for Indiana State's Pacesetter Invitational on April 18-20.
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