NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State track & field and cross country announced its 2020-21 season award winners on Thursday evening at the annual banquet celebrating the team's success over the last year.
Most Valuable Athletes in Cross Country – Rachel Hickey and Kevin Koski
For the second year in a row, Hickey earned the cross country MVP award. She was the top finisher for the Redbirds at the MVC Cross Country Championships, earning All-Valley Honorable Mention honors with a 12th-place finish with a time of 18:15.3. Hickey also posted a top-20 finish overall at the Lipscomb Winter Classic, the Redbird's only regular season meet in the abbreviated 2020-21 season.
On the men's side, Koski won the MVC individual title with a time of 24:21.1, leading the Redbirds to their first MVC Cross Country team title in 19 years. With his first-place finish, Koski was named the MVC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year and earned an auto-bid to the NCAA Cross Country Championships. At the NCAA Championships, Koski placed 99th overall with a 10K time of 31:32.5, becoming only the fifth Redbird in school history to finish in the top-100 at the national championship meet.
Most Valuable Athletes in Track & Field – Jordyn Bruce and Jack Anstey
In her senior campaign, Bruce was named the MVC Women's Outdoor Track & Field Most Valuable Athlete after scoring 26 points and winning two MVC titles at the MVC Outdoor Championships. Bruce won the MVC Heptathlon title, recording personal bests in six of the seven events and scoring a personal-best 5,439 points, which ranks No. 2 all-time in school history. She also won her second-straight 400-meter hurdles MVC title, clocking in at a personal-best 58.80 seconds, the second-fastest time in school history. Bruce also qualified for the NCAA West Prelims in the 400-meter hurdles.
Anstey raced at six meets during his final season of eligibility for the Redbirds. He ran a personal-best time of 3:39.17 in the 1,500-meter run at the Joe Walker Invite, setting a new school record. He earned MVC Male Track Athlete of the Week honors for his record-breaking performance. At the MVC Outdoor Championships, Anstey was crowned MVC Champion in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 1:49.49. He also earned All-Valley honors in the 1,500-meter run with second-place finish. In his final meet as a Redbird, Anstey competed in the 1,500-meter run at the NCAA West Preliminary Round, finishing 14th overall with a time of 3:40.87.
Redbird Rising Award in Cross Country – Maddi Exline and Charlie Wetzel
In her junior cross country campaign, Exline crossed the finish line second for the Redbirds and 17th overall at the MVC Cross Country Championships, recording a time of 18:28.5. In the only regular meet of the season, Exline placed 27th overall at the Lipscomb Winter Classic.
Wetzel earned MVC Freshman of the Year honors, finishing as the top freshman finisher at the MVC Cross Country Championships. He also earned All-MVC honors with a fourth-place finish to help the men's team to their first MVC team title in 19 years.
Redbird Rising Award in Track & Field – Jaclyn Greci and Brandon Gage
Greci was a member of the indoor and outdoor 4x400-meter relay teams that swept the event at both the MVC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. In the indoor season, Greci also earned All-Valley honors in the 400-meter dash, placing second overall with an indoor personal-best time of 55.79 seconds. At the MVC Outdoor Championships, Greci earned All-Valley honors as a member of the 4x100m relay team, as well as in the 400-meter dash. She currently ranks No. 6 all-time in ISU history in the outdoor 400-meter dash and No. 8 in the indoor 400-meter dash.
Gage earned the first MVC individual championship of his career, winning the 400-meter dash with a time of 49.03 seconds at the MVC Indoor Championships. At the indoor conference meet, Gage also earned All-Valley honors as a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that finished second overall. Gage also went on to earn All-Valley honors in the 400-meter dash at the MVC Outdoor Championships with a third-place finish. He currently ranks No. 8 all-time on the ISU top-10 list in the outdoor 400-meter dash.
Outstanding Track Athlete – Grace Beattie and Riley Wells
In her final season as a Redbird, Beattie was named the MVC Women's Most Outstanding Track Athlete after being crowned the MVC Champion in the steeplechase for the second-straight year, running a time of 10:07.04, breaking the meet record. She also earned All-Valley honors in the 1,500m, taking second with a time of 4:25.11. Beattie also broke three facility records in three different events over the course of the season. She also qualified for the NCAA West Prelims in both the steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run.
Wells, competing in his first full indoor & outdoor season, was crowned the MVC Indoor 800m Champion for the first time in his career, clocking in at 1:52.08. In the outdoor season, Wells finished as the MVC Runner-Up in the 800m behind his ISU teammate at the conference meet, clocking in at a personal-best time of 1:49.54, which ranks No. 7 all-time in school history. He also ran a leg of the distance medley relay team that placed fourth at the MVC Indoor Championships, combining for a time of 10:13.76.
Outstanding Field Athlete – Sydney Laufenberg, Kameesha Smith and Logan Calvin
In her historic outdoor senior campaign, Laufenberg earned First Team All-America honors at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships by placing fifth overall with a personal-best mark of 58.02 meters (190-4 ft.) to re-break her school record for the second time this season. She posted the highest finish at the NCAA Championships by a Valley athlete and became only the second Redbird in school history to earn All-America honors in the discus. She was additionally crowned the MVC Champion in the discus for the third time in her career.
In the indoor season, Smith qualified in the high jump for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, becoming the first female field athlete to qualify since 2013. She finished the season 10th in the nation, clearing 1.76 meters (5-9.25 ft.) at the NCAA Championships to earn Second Team All-America honors. Smith also broke a 29-year old indoor high jump school record at the GVSU Big Meet, clearing 1.82 meters (5-11.5 ft.). At the MVC Championships, Smith won her third-consecutive MVC high jump title and earned All-Valley honors in the long jump for the second-straight indoor season.
Calvin earned All-Valley honors in the shot put with a runner-up finish and took fourth in the weight throw at the MVC Indoor Championships. In the outdoor season, Calvin finished in the top-5 in the shot put, discus and hammer at the conference meet, taking home All-Valley honors in the shot put. Calvin qualified in both the hammer throw and shot put at the NCAA West Prelims, where he finished 24th and 22nd respectively. He also currently ranks No. 2 in the shot put, No. 6 in the hammer throw and No. 7 in the discus on the Illinois State top-10 list.
Excellence Award – Kristin Higgins and Jake Gillum
Following each season, two Redbirds, one female and one male, are selected based on the characteristics it takes to succeed at the Division I level: hard work, discipline, determination, desire, dedication, a positive attitude and integrity. The individuals who meet these criteria are named recipients of the Excellence Award. This year, Higgins was chosen for the women, and Gillum was chosen for the men.
Redbirds of the Year Award – Kristin Higgins and Brandon Gage
In the final award of the night, Kristen Higgins and Brandon Gage were named the Redbirds of the Year, which is voted on by the track & field and cross country teams.
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