ST. LOUIS – Illinois State Track & Field's Rachel Hickey has been named a recipient of the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award, the Missouri Valley Conference office announced Friday morning. Hickey was one of 10 student-athletes in the Valley to receive this honor from Commissioner Jeff Jackson.
Hickey, who has maintained a 4.00 cumulative grade point average as a Journalism and Integrated Marketing Communication double-major with a minor in Athletic Coaching, has been actively involved in both the Illinois State and Bloomington-Normal communities.
A Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) member since 2019, Hickey was recently selected as the 2022-23 SAAC Vice President. The Peru, Illinois, native has also served as The Vidette Sports Editor and as a member of the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society's Executive Board. Hickey, a two-time Elite 17 Award recipient (cross county 2019/indoor track & field 2020), is a member of the Illinois State Honors Program and received the Marketing Department's Outstanding Senior Award and the School of Kinesiology and Recreation's Darlene A. Kluka Scholarship this year.
Within the Bloomington-Normal community, Hickey has participated in the Oakdale Mentorship Program, the Normal Community West Canned Food Drive, the Oakdale Pen Pal Program and much more.
A three-time MVC Honor Roll member, Hickey has earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team five times between cross country and track & field. In addition to her academic success and community involvement, Hickey is a two-time All-MVC performer and two-time All-MVC Honorable Mention performer in cross country and a three-time MVC Champion on the track. Hickey also holds the Illinois State school records in the 1,000-meter run indoors and the 800-meter run outdoors.
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.
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