Jan. 14, 2003

Columbia, Mo. - One of the most enjoyable things for those of us involved in college athletics is watching young people mature. It's an incredible process. Parents entrust us with their children, and I can't tell you the amount of pride we have in watching young people grow into men and women.

There are many wonderful stories that go untold about our student-athletes at the University of Missouri. I feel compelled to share one of those with you.

On the evening of January 12, 2003 at the 38th Annual NCAA Honors Dinner in Anaheim, Calif., Ann Marie Brooks of St. Joseph, Mo., received one of the NCAA Today's Top VIII Awards. These eight individuals are a distinguished group of student-athletes who were recognized for their academic and athletic achievements, as well as their personal character and leadership attributes. In addition to their athletic accomplishments, the NCAA Today's Top VIII recipients have earned numerous academic honors, have volunteered countless hours to community projects and have served as role models for their academic institutions and their peers.

Ann Marie Brooks graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2002, summa cum laude with a 4.01 grade-point average in plant science. She was a Walter Byers NCAA postgraduate scholarship runner-up, in addition to being a two-time Verizon/CoSIDA at-large academic All-American, and a 10-time dean's list honoree. A 2002 NCAA Woman of the Year finalist, Brooks was part of the women's track distance medley relay team that captured the NCAA indoor national championship in 2001. She also earned All-America honors in the 1,500-meters at that same meet, and in the spring of 2002, was an All-American outdoors in the 5,000-meters. Earlier that school year, she was an All-American in cross country. Brooks captured three Big 12 Conference titles during her career, and as a member of the USA Track and Field National Under-25 team, she won the 5,000-meters at the 2002 North American-Central American-Caribbean (NACAC) Championships.

Ann Marie Brooks

But all of that tells only part of Ann Marie's story. Among her many community contributions, Brooks served on the Boone County Council on Aging for two years and participated in Horticulture Club, growing and marketing horticultural crops that were gardened at a local school. She was a member of a student-faculty discussion group that brought together honors students to discuss current events. She also assisted handicapped children and adults in safely riding horses at the Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Stables and did volunteer work at the University of Missouri Children's Hospital.

We hold three core values that we strive to comply with each and everyday within the Athletic Department at Missouri. Those values include: Academic Integrity, Social Responsibility and Competitive Intensity. Ann Marie Brooks exemplifies the model student-athlete of whom any university would be proud.

On April 17, 2002 Brooks was honored as the winner of University of Missouri's Director of Athletics Leadership Award. Presented annually, the criteria for this award includes having at least a 3.0 GPA, community service participation, strong leadership qualities, strong ethical behavior and exemplary representation of the MU student-athlete population. Each sport nominates a student-athlete, and a group of six finalists is then presented to me. After interviewing each candidate, I select the winner. As you can tell, Ann Marie was a clear-cut choice!

In his 19 years at Missouri, track and field coach Rick McGuire has had 77 All-America winners, with 11 of those student-athletes receiving the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, while dozens more have graduated with academic honors. Yet, Ann Marie Brooks seems to be a cut above the rest.

"Ann Marie Brooks is the finest student and absolutely the best athlete that I have ever coached," McGuire said recently. "Her classroom success speaks for itself. She is an NCAA champion, four-time All-American and three-time Big 12 champion! Ann Marie is genuinely caring, and has a record of volunteer service that is truly remarkable. How she finds the time and energy to be such a phenomenal student, a champion athlete and such a devoted servant of others, without sacrificing excellence in any area, is testimony to, and evidence of both tremendous talents and extraordinary spirit," said McGuire.

As we ring in this New Year, let me say, "Cheers to Ann Marie Brooks" - you are an inspiration for everyone.

As always, I want to say thank-you to those of you who have taken the time to read this column, and also to the fine newspaper publishers around our great state of Missouri who make the effort to provide it for you. If you have any questions about this column, or any other subjects regarding Mizzou Athletics, please feel free to e-mail me at aldenm@missouri.edu.