Five repeat first-team selections highlight the 2004 Missouri Valley Conference Softball Scholar-Athlete Team, as announced by the league office. The team includes 13 first-teamers and an additional 12 honorable-mention honorees, while a total of 50 student-athletes met the criteria for the team, voted on by league sports information directors.
Repeat first-team selections include Southern Illinois' Jenny Doehring and Amy Harre, Southwest Missouri State's Ashley Meredith, Drake's Katie Shimon and Wichita State's Stephanie Scott.
Joining those five on the first team are Wichita State's Lisa Clary and Lindsay Craig; Bradley's Laura Harms and Brittany Mynsberge; Southwest Missouri State's Jessica Leathers; Evansville's Katie Markle; and Illinois State's Kate Stake.
The criteria for the Valley Scholar-Athlete Team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.00 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions. The top 11 vote-getters (plus ties) received first-team honors. A minimum of two votes was required for honorable-mention selection.
2004 Valley Scholar-Athletes
FIRST TEAM
^Lisa Clary, WSU, Sr., 3.81, Mathematics
Lindsay Craig, WSU, Jr., 3.10, Sociology
*Jenny Doehring, SIU, Sr., 3.72, Mathematics
Laura Harms, BU, Sr., 3.23, English
*Amy Harre, SIU, Jr., 3.71, Physiology
^Katie Jordan, SIU, Jr., 3.53, Math Education
Jessica Leathers, SMS, Jr., 3.84, Psychology
Katie Markle, UE, Jr., 3.42 Nursing
*Ashley Meredith, SMS, Sr., 3.53, Communications
Brittany Mynsberge, BU, Jr.,3.41, Health Science
*Stephanie Scott, WSU, Sr., 3.82, Accounting
*Katie Shimon, DU, Sr., 3.66, Marketing
Kate Stake, ILS, Jr., 3.67, English
*First Team Selections in 2003
^Honorable Mention in 2003
HONORABLE MENTION
Kristy Brod, BU, Sr., 3.53 Civil Engineering
Julie Darling, WSU, So., 3.71, Sports Admin
Melanie Dorsey, CU, Jr., 3.16, Finance
Mandy Garner, ILS, Jr., 3.68, Accounting
Abby Johnson, CU, Jr., 3.25, Biology
Ashley Lynn, WSU, So., 3.35, Liberal Arts & Sciences
Julia Nurse, DU, So., 3.83, Journalism
Melissa Plog, CU, Jr., 3.97, Chemistry
Stacey Rybar, CU, Sr., 3.04, Exercise Science
Erin Strellner, UNI, Jr., 3.51, Management
Katie Wappler, DU, Jr., 3.36, Biochemistry
Emily Winters, UE. Sr., 3.78, Business Administration