April 19, 2006
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri Department of Athletics held its 20th annual Student-Athlete Academic Awards Breakfast this morning at Stotler Lounge in Memorial Union. Created in 1986, the breakfast honors those student-athletes who earned a minimum 3.0 semester grade point average during the previous year, and also serves to hand out some of the more prestigious awards given to MU athletes.
This morning's key note speaker was Mike Hall, a 2004 graduate of the MU School of Journalism, and ESPNU signature anchor who won ESPN's first-ever Dream Job contest. Hall had the crowd in stitches as he told about his athletic prowess on the ultimate frisbee circuit, as well as humorous accounts of his experiences in the big-time world of national television sports broadcasting.
Associate Athletic Director for Academic Services Bryan Maggard said that over 50 percent of MU's nearly 500 student-athletes earned 3.00 grade point averages or higher during the winter 2005 and fall 2005 semesters. Other brag points Maggard touted included the fact that MU led the Big 12 Conference in Academic Progress Rate (APR) in 2005, and ranked first in the nation with six NCAA postgraduate scholarship winners in 2004-05.
Senior cross country/track and field standout Amanda Bales was presented with the 2005 Director of Athletics Leadership Award, for her accomplishments both on and off the track. Criteria for the award include 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.
Football's Brad Smith and gymnastics' Jodie Heinicka both received the 2005 Big 12 Conference Scholar-Athlete Medal, which is presented to one male and one female athlete in his or her final year of eligibility who has achieved the most outstanding accomplishments in both athletics and academic scholarship.
Winners of the 2005 Total Person Program Academic Achievement Award included Tim Kephart (wrestling), Jason Morris (men's track and field), Jimmy McKinney (men's basketball), and Christelle N'Garsanet (women's basketball). This award goes to student-athletes who have positively influenced other student-athletes to attain success.
Longtime track and field coach Dr. Rick McGuire was presented with the 2005 Coach's Academic Enhancement Award, which goes for outstanding support to the academic success of the student-athletes at Mizzou. Twenty-six of his track and field student-athletes earned perfect 4.0 GPAs during either the winter and/or fall 2005 semesters.
The men's and women's swimming and diving teams of Coach Brian Hoffer were each named the winners of the 2005 Community Service Life Skills Award of Excellence, for their dedication and efforts in the community. Their signature project each year is the MS 150 Bike Tour, which is the largest organized cycling event in America, and proceed from which go to fight Multiple Sclerosis.