Missouri State student-athletes Michael Breshears and Melissa Porche were named the Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athletes of the Week for the week of May 8-14, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced Thursday morning.

Breshears, a member of the MSU track and field team, placed second in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the State Farm MVC Track and Field Championship in Wichita, Kan., on Saturday, May 13. His time of 9:02.68 is an NCAA Regional qualifying time. Breshears, who has a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average in administrative management, also added a third-place finish in the 5,000-meter run in a time of 14:51.51.

A pitcher for the MSU softball team, Porche pitched a four-hit shutout to lead Missouri State to a 4-0 victory over Illinois State, Friday, May 12, sending the Bears to the championship game of the State Farm MVC Softball Championship. Porche was selected to the MVC All-Tournament team after helping the Bears to their first Valley title since 1998 and its fourth crown overall. Porche is majoring in psychology and has a 3.43 grade-point average.

Breshears will next compete at the NCAA Regional Championships in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday through Saturday, May 26-27, in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Porche will be back in action as the Missouri State Softball Bears face the nation’s top seed in the UCLA Bruins Friday, May 19, at 7 p.m. CST, in the first round of the NCAA Division I Regionals at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.