Nov. 1, 2007

ST.LOUIS - Illinois State senior Suzy Turner, junior Mike Richardson and sophomore Scott Krapf of the women's and men's cross country teams were named to the 2007 Missouri Valley Cross Country Scholar-Athlete and All-Conference Teams, as announced by the league office Wednesday. Sophomore Jordan Anderson was the final Redbird recognized by The Valley and was named to the all-conference team. The quartet's recognition came following the completion of the 2007 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship at the Pheasant Ridge golf Course in Cedar Falls, Iowa.

Scholar-Athletes honors require athletes to meet performance standards, as the top-10 finishers at the conference championship earn all-conference honors and are included on the Scholar-Athlete team, provide they meet the set criteria, while other athletes mush finish among the first 20 runners at the conference championship and hold a cumulative 3.0 GPA and be a sophomore in athletic and academic standing to earn a sport on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team.

Illinois State placed four runners on the all-conference team--Turner, Krapf, Anderson and Richardson. The Redbirds and Southern Illinois were the only two men's and women's program with a combined total of four student-athletes being named to the all-conference teams.

Head coach Jeff Bovee was proud of his team's accomplishments, as they finished the regular season strong at the 2007 MVC Championships.

"Last year, we did not have any runners place in the top-10, and this year, we had four," said Bovee. "That number is just as high as any other school, so I was really pleased with that. And then to combine that with their academic achievements was fantastic. I think that as a coaching staff, we reinforce and promote excellence in and out of the classroom."

Gaining recognition on the women's scholar-athlete and all-conference teams was Turner, who placed sixth (17:40.71) at The Valley Championships and keyed the Redbird women's team to a fourth-place team finish. The Palatine, Ill., native holds a 3.78 GPA in biological sciences.

"Suzy is a senior in biological sciences and plans on going to optometry school next year," said Bovee. "She has held a high cumulative GPA and has had an excellent cross country season, which is really great."

On the men side, Krapf finished in fourth place at the conference meet, running the men's 8K in 24:40.60 and guiding the Illinois State men's cross country team to a second-place finish. The Danville, Ill., native holds a cumulative 4.0 GPA in recreation and park administration.

Richardson was also a key component at The Valley Championships, finishing the race in eighth place (24:51.22). Buffalo Grove, Ill., native is majoring in health education and holds a 3.02 cumulative GPA.

Anderson was the second ISU runner to cross the finish line in the men's race. The sophomore and Mason City, Iowa native placed sixth with a time of 24:46.68.

Bovee was not surprised that his top Valley finishers were also members of the scholar-athlete team.

"I think that in order to be a good distance runner, you really need to be disciplined," said Bovee. "I think that the student-athletes carry their discipline in both arenas: academic and athletic."