ST. LOUIS – Illinois State track & field junior Sydney Laufenberg has been awarded with the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award, the Missouri Valley Conference office announced Wednesday morning. Laufenberg was one of 10 student-athletes from the Valley to receive this honor from Commissioner Doug Elgin for the 2019 spring season.
Laufenberg maintains a 3.45 cumulative grade point average as a food, nutrition, and dietetics major. She has excelled in the classroom during her time as a Redbird, having been named to the MVC Honor Roll in 2016-17 and 2017-18, as well as the Illinois State University Athletics AFNI Honor Roll for Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, and Fall 2018.
Laufenberg has also been extremely involved in the community, assisting her fellow Redbirds in various capacities. She has served as a note taker for ISU's Student Access and Accommodation Services, in addition to being a Nutrition Mission and Sports Nutrition volunteer. Laufenberg has volunteered beyond the campus community as well, assisting with the Salvation Army Safe Harbor, Saint Jude Hospital Marathon, and Sheridan Elementary Back to School Parade.
In the throwing circle, Laufenberg is the reigning back-to-back MVC Champion in the discus, having won the Valley title in her freshman and sophomore seasons. She is also a two-time NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier and 2017 USATF Junior Championships qualifier in the discus.
Laufenberg most recently broke the Illinois State discus school record with a monstrous throw of 56.99m (187-00) at the Ole Miss Classic on March 30, surpassing Angie Joy's previous school record of 55.17m (181-00) from 1998 by nearly two meters. This past weekend, Laufenberg also cracked ISU's top-10 list in the hammer throw, posting the fourth-farthest throw in Redbird history (57.00m/187-00).
In order to be eligible for the 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. Institutions select their State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award honorees.
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will have their final tune-up before the 2019 MVC Outdoor Championships when they travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Invitational on May 3.
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