NORMAL, Ill. – Senior distance runner Kimathi Johnson was selected as the Herschel O. Brock Endowed Scholarship recipient, chosen by Director of Track & Field/ Cross Country, Jeff Bovee.
"Thank you to the Brock family for providing me with more opportunities in my college career and believing in not only me but Illinois State's future and the future of athletes," Johnson said. "We all want to do our best, and the more people who believe in the importance of athletics the better. I think that more opportunity there is for people to pursue athletics in college the better we will all become."
Johnson, who has one season of eligibility left in both cross country and outdoor track & field, has been a key member of the cross country and track & field teams since he joined the Redbirds in 2016. A three-time Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete (2018, 2019, 2020) and a 2019 USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member, Johnson has maintained a 3.36 GPA as a History Education major with minors in Women & Gender Studies and Sociology.
On the track he is a three-time All-MVC honoree, a two-time MVC champion and qualified for the 2019 NCAA West Prelims in the 800-meter run. In 2018, Johnson helped the ISU men's cross country team to their highest team finish since 2015, placing 14th overall to earn All-MVC Honorable Mention honors and help the 'Birds to a second-place finish as a team.
The Herschel O. Brock Endowed Scholarship was established in 2008 by Jeff Brock in honor of his father, Hershel. The scholarship is awarded annually to a junior or senior Illinois State student-athlete. Candidates for this scholarship must demonstrate strong academic achievement, as evidenced by accumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. They must also be a junior or senior in good standing on one of the following Illinois State athletic teams: Men's Basketball, Football, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Baseball, Men's Cross Country, or Men's Track and Field.
This endowed scholarship is one of 31 available to Illinois State student-athletes that are funded by private donors. For more information about establishing or contributing an endowed scholarship, please call the Weisbecker Scholarship Fund office at (309) 438-3803. To read about each current endowment in more detail, visit the WSF website at www.weisbeckerscholarshipfund.com.
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