May 5, 2003

Allison named outstanding student-athlete at Missouri Southern
Chapman, Garrett capture male and femal athlete of the year honors

Balancing involvement in the classroom and as part of an collegiate athletics team is often enough for many student-athletes. For Jana Allison, that doesn't seem to be so.

Allison, a senior outfielder/pitcher on the Lady Lions softball team, was named the E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award recipient as Missouri Southern's outstanding student-athlete at Monday night's Lionbacker Cookout in the Billingsly Student Center.

A native of Lebanon, Mo., Allison is a three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Academic All-America. She's a two-time second-team All-MIAA selection, including in 2003 as a utility player, and a three-time honoree on the MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll.

In the classroom, Allison maintains a 3.938 GPA and will graduate summa cum laude later this month with a degree in biology/pre-medicine. Last week, it was announced that Allison was the female recipient of Missouri Southern State College's Spencer-Bartlett Award, given annually to the outstanding graduate.

Off the field and out of the classroom, Allison works as an emergency room nurse at Freeman Hospital and as a triage nurse at the Joplin Community Clinic. She has also been a research assistant with the Missouri Southern biology department, a Big Sister in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program and a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House. Last May, Allison attended the NCAA Leadership Conference as well.

The E.O. & Virginia Humphrey Award is given based on the following criteria: Highest respect for Missouri Southern, Outstanding Athletic Ability, Outstanding Leadership, and Respect for fellow teammates and students.

Also on Monday, senior Josh Chapman (Webb City, Mo.) and junior Mary Garrett (Carthage, Mo.) were named Missouri Southern's Male and Female Athletes of the Year.

Chapman, a record-setting quarterback on the Missouri Southern football team, was a second-team All-America and the 2002 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year. He became just the second of three players college football history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 more in a single season. Chapman, who set Lions records for single-game, season and career total offense, also became the first NCAA Division II quarterback to pass for 5,000 yards and rush for 3,000 in a career. He ended the 2002 campaign with 3,408 total offensive yards (2,398 passing and 1,010 rushing). Chapman will graduate with two degrees (business administration and marketing).

Garrett was an All-America in the 2002 indoor track & field season, finishing seventh at the NCAA Division II Championships in the 400-meter dash, an event in which she also won the MIAA crown. She set two MSSC indoor records this past winter, including marks in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. This outdoor season has been another outstanding campaign for Garrett, too. She came into the weekend of May 3-4 ranked tied for first in NCAA Division II in the 400-meter hurdles. Garrett left the weekend with All-MIAA accolades in the same event with a second-place finish at the conference meet in Kirksville, Mo. Garrett maintains a 3.975 GPA as a psychology and English major at Missouri Southern.

To date, Missouri Southern can boast 83 All-MIAA performers, six All-America and All-Region nominees, 71 MIAA Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll selections, four academic All-Americans and two academic all-district honorees. Three Missouri Southern athletics teams also collected Team Academic Awards from their respective coaching associations.

In the classroom, through the fall semester, MSSC student-athletes combined for a cumulative GPA of 2.955. Forty-six percent, or 134 of our 290 student-athletes had cumulative GPAs of 3.0 or higher.

Three other sets of awards were also presented at Monday night's event: Fifth-Year Enhancement Scholarships, the Lionbacker Awards of Excellence, and team awards.

Fifth-year enhancement scholarships went to: Zach Scheirer, men's basketball. Schierer is a senior forward from Peoria, Ill., Jamie Tallman, men's track & field. Tallman is a senior thrower from Neodesha, Kan. Trey Smitherman, football. Smitherman is a former linebacker from Lubbock, Texas, Rob McCutcheon, men's soccer. McCutcheon is a senior midfielder from Tulsa, Okla. Kristen Armilio, softball. Armilio is a senior first baseman from Belton, Mo. Shannon Schultz, volleyball. Schultz is a senior libero from Oklahoma City, Okla.

Lionbacker Awards of Excellence were handed out to the following
Baseball: Zack Bronson (Junior, OF, Windsor, Iowa)
Men's Basketball: Jamahr Warren (Senior, F, Garland, Texas)
Women's Basketball: Lacey Messick (Senior, F, Marshfield, Mo.)
Men's Cross Country: Brian Lyons (Senior, Monett, Mo.)
Women's Cross Country: Rachel Patterson (Junior, Raytown, Mo.)
Men's Track & Field: Seth Isringhausen (Senior, Nixa, Mo.)
Women's Track & Field: Mary Garrett (Junior, Carthage, Mo.)
Football: Ryan Burpo (Junior, DB, Webb City, Mo.)
Golf: Kyle Long (Senior, Joplin, Mo.)
Men's Soccer: Rob McCutcheon (Senior, MF, Tulsa, Okla.)
Women's Soccer: Jessie Noid (Junior, D, Marshalltown, Iowa)
Softball: Jana Allison (Senior, OF/P, Lebanon, Mo.)
Tennis: Lacey McMunn (Sophomore, Parsons, Kan.)
Volleyball: Shannon Schultz (Senior, L, Oklahoma City, Okla.)

Team Awards given out on Monday included the following:
Baseball: Most Valuable Player, Nick Davis (Senior, RHP, Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Men's Basketball: Don Gross Leadership Award, Jamahr Warren (Senior, F, Garland, Texas)
Women's Basketball: Most Improved Player, Charity Slinker (Senior, G, Lamar, Mo.)
Men's Cross Country: Outstanding Athlete, Magnus Holmstrom (Junior, Inga, Finland)
Women's Cross Country: Most Inspirational Athlete, Ashley Caffey (Sophomore, Lebanon, Mo.)
Men's Track & Field: Outstanding Athlete, Jamie Tallman (Senior, Neodesha, Kan.)
Women's Track & Field: Most Valuable Performer, Danee Jones (Sophomore, Clayton, Mo.)
Football: Most Valuable Player, Josh Chapman (Senior, QB, Webb City, Mo.)
Golf: Most Valuable Player, Mickey Carpenter (Senior, Neodesha, Kan.)
Men's Soccer: Most Valuable Player, Zac Zalewski (Freshman, D, Lincoln, Neb.)
Women's Soccer: Most Valuable Player, Amanda Zook (Senior, D, LeeÕs Summit, Mo.)
Softball: Most Outstanding Player, Alese Woolard (Sophomore, OF/SS, Claremore, Okla.)
Tennis: Most Valuable Player, Sheryl Posch (Junior, Parsons, Kan.)
Volleyball: Player of the Year, Amy Little (Junior, Nixa, Mo.)