SPRINGFIELD - Senior Staci Nelson and freshman Cheyenne Stewart received 2010 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field All-Conference Honors, and five Bears were named to the 2010 Track and Field Scholar-Athlete Team when the league announced postseason awards Thursday.
Nelson (Chatham, Ill.) was the conference champion in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with a time of 10:41.96. Her personal best at the April 22 Drake Relays, 10:35.43, stood as the fastest time of any MVC runner this outdoor season.
Stewart (Christ Church, Barbados) placed third in the high jump with a 5-05.25 mark and just missed qualifying for the first-place jump off. Her height was a personal best.
The scholar-athlete recipients were awarded for finishing in an event's top eight at either the MVC Indoor or Outdoor Track and Field Championships and maintaining a cumulative GPA over 3.2, while having at least a sophomore standing. The five Bears named to the team are:
- Stephanie Harres (Jr., Columbia, Ill.); 3.64 GPA; Exercise & Movement Science:
-Harres was the highest Bear finisher in the 5,000-meter run at the MVC Indoor Championships, placing seventh with a 17:54.73 time. She ran in a variety of distance events this season, establishing personal bests in the outdoor 5,000m (17:34.23) and 10,000m (37:51.65), as well as the indoor 3,000m (10:10.19), 5,000m (17:54.73) and mile (5:16.18). She won the 5,000-meter run at the Jan. 23 Eastern Illinois University Mega Meet.
- Yaneika Malcolm (Sr., Montego Bay, Jamaica); 3.59 GPA; Cell & Molecular Biology
-Malcolm was named to the scholar-athlete team for the fourth straight year after competing in only the indoor season. The Montego Bay, Jamaica, native closed her MSU career with a fourth-place 400-meter dash (56.64) finish at the MVC Indoor Championships. The performance was one of three top-five finishes she earned during the season. She also was a member of the 4x400-meter relay team that took home seventh (3:55.63) at the championships.
- Staci Nelson (Sr., Chatham, Ill.); 3.97 GPA; Communications Sciences & Disorders:
-In addition to her 3,000-meter steeplechase MVC Outdoor Championship, Nelson finished sixth in the mile run (a personal best 4:58.32) and third in the 3,000-meter run (a personal best 9:42.83) at the MVC Indoor Championships. Nelson is the fourth-best all-time steeplechase performer at MSU, the third-best in the 3,000m and was a 2009 MVC Scholar-Athlete Team recipient.
- Terry Phillips (So., Kansas City, Mo.); 4.00 GPA; Chemistry/Biochemistry:
-The MVC Indoor Championships' 3,000-meter run winner makes the scholar-athlete team for the second year in a row. Phillips 9:35.40 time to win the 3,000-meter run was a personal best and established her as the event's third-best all-time performer at MSU. Phillips collected event wins at the Iowa State Classic (3,000m) and the Eastern Illinois University Mega Meet (3,000m and mile).
- Jodiann Walker (So., Montego Bay, Jamaica); 3.39 GPA; Accounting
-Walker was a top sprinter for the Bears this season, winning the 60-meter dash at the MVC Indoor Championships. Her preliminary time of 7.51 and finals time of 7.54 are the second- and fifth-fastest times in Missouri State history. At the outdoor MVC meet, Walker took home fifth in the 100-meter dash (12.22). She also won the 60-meter dash at the Eastern Illinois University Mega Meet.
Although the MVC postseason awards have been announced, the Bears season is not finished. The NCAA West Regionals in Austin, Texas, are scheduled for May 27-29. The formal announcement of Regional Qualifiers is set for Friday, May 21, with multiple Bears in the running for a slot in the national competition.
