In an effort to honor the achievements of exceptional student-athletes, the Missouri Valley Conference has created the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award. Ten student-athletes have been named by Commissioner Doug Elgin as the honorees for the 2018-19 Fall season.
This year’s Fall honorees include Abigail Ihrke, Bradley, Volleyball; Nathanael Seaberg, Drake, Men's Soccer; Ashton Bosler, Evansville, Women's Cross Country; Kate Del Fava, Illinois State, Women's Soccer; Jessi Conley, Indiana State, Women's Cross Country; Lindsey Hardiman, Loyola, Women's Soccer; Kaitlin Maxwell, Missouri State, Women's Soccer; Marcus Weymiller, UNI, Football; Hannah Becker, Southern Illinois, Volleyball; Jesse Studyvin, Valparaiso, Football.
In order to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing, must demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service, and must participate in a sport, during the season of recognition. The Valley will recognize 10 student-athletes three times annually (fall, winter, spring), for a total of 30 honorees. Institutions select their State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award honorees.
Abigail Ihrke, Bradley. Volleyball, Senior
- 3.67 Cumulative GPA in Finance and Spanish Double Major
- MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award (2018)
- MVC Honor Roll (2016, 2017, 2018)
- Bradley Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Fall 2015-Spring 2018)
- Community Service:
- 2018 Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief Service Tip
- Donation Collection for Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief
- Megan Fong Blood Drive
- Composting in Campus Dining Halls
- BU Clean Up Crew
- Family House
- Feed My Starving Children
- Special Olympics
- Sterling Middle School Color-A-Thon
- Birthday Buddies at Lincoln Elementary
Nathanael Seaberg, Drake, Men's Soccer, Redshirt Sophomore
- 4.00 GPA in dual major Health Sciences: Clinical & Applied and Biology
- President's List
- Dean's List
- National Alumni Scholar
- Presenter at the Association for Applied Sports Psychology Annual Conference
- Community Service:
- Courage League Sports (helping mentally and physically challenged children succeed in life through sports)
- Cleaned out flood damage (50+ hours)
- Meals from the Heartland
- Drake Dance Marathon (Vice President)
- MVC SAAC Representative
- SAAC President Elect
- Fellowship of Christian Athletes Leadership Team and Worship Leader
Ashton Bosler, Evansville, Women's Cross Country, Senior
- American Chemical Society Outstanding Freshman Award
- American Chemical Society Outstanding Junior Award
- Dean's List (every semester)
- Community Service:
- Habitat for Humanity (4 years, 60+ hours)
- Helped build Mickey's Kingdom Park playground
- Walked animal shelter dogs at the local humane society
- Community One Run volunteer
- Volunteer timer and worker at high school cross country and track meets (30+ hours)
- Toys for Tots
Kate Del Fava, Illinois State, Women's Soccer, Junior
- 4.00 GPA in Pre-Vet/Animal Science major, Chemistry minor
- Illinois State University Presidential Scholar (2016-present)
- Enterprise MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight (10/3/18)
- Women's Soccer MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team (2017)
- MVC Commissioner's List (2017-18)
- MVC Honor Roll (2016-17, 2017-18)
- AFNI Honor Roll (Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018)
- Community Service:
- Community Movie Night Volunteer (Fall 2018)
- SAAC Representative (Spring 2017-Present)
- Oakdale Elementary Pen Pals (Fall 2018)
- Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington (Spring 2018-present)
- Special Olympics (Spring 2018)
- ISU Thank-A-Thon (Spring 2017, Spring 2018)
- Read Across McLean County (Spring 2018)
- Eastland Companion Hospital volunteer
- Regner Veterinary Clinic volunteer
- Bring It Back to Normal (Spring 2018)
- Recess/Lunch Buddies
Jessi Conley, Indiana State, Women's Cross Country, Redshirt Senior
- Student-Athlete Mentor
- Current SAAC President
- Community Service:
- Special Olympics
- Race for the Cure
- March of Dimes
- National Student-Athlete Day
- Nike Cross Country Meet Volunteer
Lindsey Hardiman, Loyola, Women's Soccer, Sophomore
- 3.929 GPA in Nursing
- MVC Honor Roll (2017-18)
- Feed My Starving Children volunteer
- Christian non-profit organization that coordinates packaging and distribution of food to people in need
Kaitlin Maxwell, Missouri State, Women's Soccer, Redshirt Sophomore
- 3.98 Cumulative GPA
- Dean's List (Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018)
- Maroon & White Scholar (Spring 2018)
- Athletic Director's Honor Roll (Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018)
- Board of Governors Scholarship
- Community Service:
- Buddy Bears (2016-present)
- Humane Society of Southwest Missouri
- Field Marshall for Lake Country Soccer
- Champion Athletes
Marcus Weymiller, UNI, Football, Senior
- 3.97 Cumulative GPA with a major in Public Administration: Emphasis in Human Resources
- Minors in Political Science and Law & Politics
- Co-authored an article draft intended for publication in the Oxford Encyclopedia of Political Decision Making
- Pi Sigma Alpha member (The National Political Science Honor Society)
- Alpha Delta Chi Chapter of UNI
- 2017 Glasener Scholarship Recipient for the Most Outstanding Political Science Student
- Community Service:
- Big Brother Big Sisters (September 2016-Present)
- 2017 Black Hawk County School-Based Big of the Year
- Special Olympics
- Dance Marathon
- Jr. Panther Night
- Panther for a Day
Hannah Becker, Southern Illinois, Volleyball, Senior
- 4.00 GPA
- Dean's List (all semesters)
- SAAC member
- Community Service:
- Special Olympics
- Animal Shelters
- Boys and Girls Club
- Carbondale Library
- Reading to kids in elementary schools
Jesse Studyvin, Valparaiso, Football, Senior
- Valparaiso University Presidential Scholarship (awarded to students that maintain a 3.0 or greater)
- Student Assistant in the College of Business
- Academic Support Assistant
- Part of the fraternity that posted the highest term GPA of all Fraternities in the Valparaiso Greek Life System
- Community Service:
- Team Type 1 Global Ambassador
- Organization for Type 1 Diabetic college athletes to provide education and outreach events to raise awareness for the disease
- Mentor local middle school students with Type 1 Diabetes
- Boys and Girls Club of South Haven
- Boy Scouts of America
- Dance Marathon