In an effort to honor the achievements of exceptional student-athletes, the Missouri Valley Conference has created the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award.  Twelve student-athletes have been named by Commissioner Jeff Jackson as the honorees for the 2025 Spring season.

This year’s Spring honorees include Brenna Blume, Belmont, Softball; Timmy O’Brien, Bradley, Baseball; Ana Kirillov, Drake, Women’s Cross Country and Track; Alejandro Navarette, Evansville, Men’s Track & Field; Luke Malone, UIC, Men’s Track; Delainey Bryant, Illinois State, Softball; Yang Tai, Indiana State, Women’s Golf; Amy Henning, Missouri State, Tennis; Preston Chaudoin, Murray State, Baseball; MaKenna Kuper, Northern Iowa, Softball; Joshua Delgado, Southern Illinois, Men’s Track & Field; Kade Reinertson, Valparaiso, Baseball.

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 12 student-athletes three times annually (Fall, Winter, Spring), for a total of 36 honorees.  Institutions select their State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award honorees.

Brenna Blume, Belmont, Softball, Junior

• 2024 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention
• 2024 Named to the CSC Academic All-District Team
• Community Service
  • 2025 Rich Tiner Altruism Award winner
  • 2024-25 Female Community Service Award winner
  • 405 community service hours (2024-2025 academic year)
  • Team IMPACT ambassador
  • SAAC representative
  • Younglife mission trip to Costa Rica

Timmy O’Brien, Bradley, Baseball, Senior

•  3.84 Cumulative GPA, Mechanical Engineering Major and Data Science Minor
• Dean’s List Fall: 2021-Fall 2025
• MVC Honor Roll Fall: 2021-Fall 2025
• Bradley Athletic Director’s Honor Roll: Fall 2021-Fall 2025
• Completing the Bradley University Honors Program
• MVC Board of Directors Academic Honor Roll: 2023-24
• Community Service
  • Participated in VS. Cancer Fundraiser for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation 2021-2025
    • Vs. Cancer empowers any sports team, any athlete, any community to help kids with cancer.
    • Personally raised $1,500 which has helped raise $80,000 as a team
  • Participated in the Team Impact Mentorship for 2023-2025
  • Volunteer coach and judge for the Peoria area Elementary school’s Speech Tournament from 2021-2025

Ana Kirillov, Drake, Women’s Cross Country and Track, Graduate Pharmacy Student

• Pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry, as well as a Doctor of Pharmacy
• President’s List: Fall 2020 - Fall 2024
• Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award: 2021-2024
• Community Service
  • Volunteered with the pharmacy team at the Iowa Mission of Mercy Dental Clinic in Des Moines
    • Counseled patients on prescribed medications
    • Served as a Spanish-language translator
  • Assisted with the high jump event at the AAU Junior Olympics at Drake Stadium
  • Administered flu shots at the APhA Immunization Clinic at Drake University
  • Participated in Girls on the Run of Central Iowa
    • Distributed water, cheered, and helped with directions
  • Member of Rho Chi Pharmacy Honor Society
    • Provides one hour of weekly tutoring to pre-pharmacy and pharmacy students
  • Volunteered at multiple events during the Drake Relays and the Jim Duncan Invitational over the past four years
  • Cheered on runners at the Des Moines Marathon for the past two years

Alejandro Navarette, Evansville, Men’s Track & Field, Sophomore

• 4.0 in Computer Science, minor in Spanish
• Dean’s List: 2023-24
• Community Service
  • Completed 50 hours of service to the community
  • Works to create sets and special effects for community theater

Luke Malone, UIC, Men’s Track, Senior

• MVC State Farm Scholar-Athlete Spotlight: 2022
• Fall State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award: 2022
• UIC Flames "Fire Up" Award: 2023- 2024
• NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum Attendee: 2024
• 3.81 GPA. Dean's list every semester at UIC since starting in 2020.
• Graduating May 2025- BDES Industrial Design with a Business Administration minor
• UIC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), President- 2024-2025 (First involved in 2021)
• Community Service
  • NCAA Leadership Forum Service Project (Packing Event)
  • Chicago Marathon Mile 18 Aid Station
  • Be The Match, bone marrow swabbing event. Organized as UIC SAAC Community Service Exec. Chair
  • UIC Baum Family Fund Day, food station at men's basketball game
  • UIC Athletics Canned Food Drive Competition, responsible for organizing and executing
  • UIC SAAC vs. SIU SAAC Canned Food Drive Competition. Organized the competition between SAAC groups and contributed to UIC's victory over SIU
  • Girls Inc. St. Louis Community Outreach Engagement
  • Gift of Hope, baseball game volunteering
  • United Way of Greater St. Louis, community garden work

Delainey Bryant, Illinois State, Softball, Senior

• Elementary Education Major with a 3.97 cumulative GPA
• ISU Athletics Honor Roll every semester of career: Fall 2021- Current
• MVC Honor Roll every year of career: 2021-22- Current
• MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Recipient: 2022-25
• MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team: 2023, 2024
• Easton/NFCA All American Scholar: 2022, 2023, 2024
• CSC Academic All District Team Honoree: 2023, 2024
• Illinois State University Dean’s List- Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
• Community Service
  • Operation Christmas Child
  • Evening of the Stars
  • 100 Caring Adults
  • Illinois State University Curb Birds
  • Glow Run Volunteer
  • Day of the Dozer
  • Midwest Food Bank
  • Miller Park Zoo Holiday Lights Show Decorations/Set-up Volunteer
  • Community Softball Clinic

Yang Tai, Indiana State, Women’s Golf, Junior

• Chemistry and Pre-Med Major
  • Cumulative GPA: 3.98
  • Major GPA: 3.97
• Earl Cooper Smith Award – May 2024
• William H. Bell Award in Chemistry – May 2023
• Research with Dr. Justin Miller
  • Studied P450 enzyme mutations; presented at Northwestern University, University of Notre Dame, Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech, and ISU

• Teaching Assistant for General Chemistry Labs
• Community Service
  • Timmy Global Health
    • Trip Leader for medical services trip to Ecuador – January 2025
    • Community Service Member – Spring 2024
    • Member since Fall 2023
    • Set up mobile clinics and treated over 1,000 patients in rural Ecuador
    • Participated in service, fundraising, and brigade-prep events
  • American Chemical Society
    • Treasurer – Fall 2024 to Spring 2025
    • Member since Fall 2023
    • Conducted chemistry experiments and demonstrations at local elementary and middle schools to inspire future scientists
  • Pre-Med Association
    • Volunteer at Mollie R. Wheat Memorial Clinic
    • Clinic is student-run, free, and based at the Landsbaum Center for Health Education
    • Provides acute primary care, health screenings, and patient education
    • Staffed by students from IU School of Medicine (Terre Haute) and ISU

Amy Henning, Missouri State, Tennis, Senior

• Dean’s List: Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Fall 2024
• Athletic Director’s Honor Roll: Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
• Maroon & White Scholar-Athlete: 2023, 2024, 2025
• MVC Board of Directors Award
• Magna Cum Laude graduate in Nutrition & Dietetics
• Community Service
  • Ozarks Food Harvest
  • Convoy of Hope
  • Discovery Center
  • Springfield Community Gardens
  • Bears Leadership Institute

Preston Chaudoin, Murray State, Baseball, Junior

• Cumulative GPA: 3.81
• MVC Board of Directors Academic Excellence Award: 2023-2024
• MVC Honor Roll: 2022-2023
• Dean’s List: Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024
• Community Service
  • Racers Read Program Volunteer
  • 2024 Tackle Hunger Campaign Team Leader
  • MVC SAAC Representative
  • Murray-Calloway County Need Line Volunteer
  • Fall on The Farm Volunteer

MaKenna Kuper, Northern Iowa, Softball, Senior

• MVC Board of Directors: 2024
• MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award: 2023, 2024
• MVC Honor Roll: 2023, 2024
• Dean’s List: 2022, 2023, 2024
• Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete: 2022
• Community Service
  • UNI Softball team’s Volunteer coordinator
  • Cedar Valley Heart Walk Logistics Chair

Joshua Delgado, Southern Illinois, Men’s Track & Field, Senior

• Finance major with a 3.41 GPA
• MVC Honor Roll: 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24
• Community Service
  • Athletics academic tutor
  • SAAC Vice President: 2024-25
  • SAAC Treasurer: 2023-24
  • Member of SAAC since 2021
  • Coordinated community Trunk or Treat event

Kade Reinertson, Valparaiso, Baseball, Graduate Student

• Member of MVC Academic Honor Roll: 2021
• Awarded Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors: 2022, 2025
• Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors Deans Award for Highest Graduate School GPA: 2025
• Community Service
  • Gift wrapping with Boys and Girls Club of Northwest Indiana
  • Volunteer with Special Olympics Iowa
  • Clean up crew after Iowa State football games with church group
  • Help support mental health with Dam Worth It organization and SAAC
  • Brought former MLB player Drew Robinson to speak at Valparaiso University about the importance of mental health
  • Hosted free baseball camps that teach respect, passion, and joy for the game