June 25, 2012
SPRINGFIELD - Missouri State's final set of year-end honors were announced Monday (June 25) with the awarding of the 2011-12 Outstanding Female Athlete Award and the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar-Athlete Award.
Basketball great Casey Garrison (Sr., Bolivar, Mo.) was awarded the Outstanding Female Athlete Award, as voted on by Missouri State's nine women's head coaches. She is the first basketball player since Jackie Stiles (2001) to receive the honor, on a list of award winners that dates back to 1981 (see complete history below).
Garrison became just the sixth player in Missouri Valley Conference women's history to be named All-MVC first team four straight years while leading the Lady Bears in scoring (15.7) and assists (4.2). She piloted MSU to a 24-9 overall record, the MVC regular-season championship and a trip to the WNIT for the third straight year.
She closed out her landmark career with 2,271 points to rank third in MVC history and second in MSU history behind Stiles. The 2010 MVC Player of the Year also ranks 13th in NCAA history with 118 double-figure scoring games and sits in the top ten of 15 MSU career statistical categories and in the top 13 on six MVC career lists.
Other finalists for the 2011-12 Outstanding Female Athlete Award were: field hockey standout Casey Bayliss (Sr., Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia); NCAA triple jump All-American Kimsue Grant (Jr., Arlington, Va.); four-time All-MVC volleyballer Calli Norman (Sr., St. Charles, Mo.); MVC Swimmer of the Year Renata Sander (So., Belo Horizonte, Brazil); sensational soccer goal keeper Jessica Teahan (Sr., Lenexa, Kan.); and highly-touted golfer Kelsey Welber (Sr., Plano, Texas).
Distance specialist Terry Phillips (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.), is the winner of the 2012 Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar-Athlete Award. The award is presented annually to the graduating female student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average.
Phillips, who completed her undergraduate degree in December with a cumulative 3.99 grade point average in Chemistry, had a decorated career competing for the Bears in both cross country and track & field. She won individual conference championships in cross country and the indoor 3,000-meter run while earning All-MVC honors six times. Phillips is the MSU record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and was an NCAA Division I national qualifier in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2009 Outdoor Track & Field Championships and recorded a 20th place finish.
In the classroom, she was a two-time Prairie Farms-MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week, a two-time member of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, and earned CoSIDA Academic All-America second team honors in 2010.
Missouri State Outstanding Female Athlete Award
•1981 Stephanie Dutton, field hockey
•1982 Jennifer Seveland Box, volleyball
•1983 Lynne Strubberg, basketball
•1984 Jeanette Tendai, basketball
•1985 Kim Schwaab, field hockey
•1986 Terri Whitmarsh, softball
•1987 Kathy Crotty, volleyball
•1988 Marjorie DeMarino, field hockey
•1989 Mindy Struckhoff, volleyball
•1990 Susan Ruch, volleyball
•1991 LaWaynta Dawson, basketball
•1992 Barb Gaines, softball
•1993 Barb Gaines, softball
•1994 Melody Howard, basketball
Kellie Becher, softball
•1995 Melinda Sallins, track and field
•1996 Melinda Sallins, track and field
•1997 Michelle Baptiste, track and field
•1998 Lisa Davies, basketball
•1999 Verneta Lesforis, track and field
•2000 Jackie Stiles, basketball
•2001 Jackie Stiles, basketball
•2002 Cheasa Gibson, track and field
•2003 Courtney Phillips, swimming & diving
•2004 Cheasa Gibson, track and field
•2005 Casey Owens, track and cross country
•2006 Tracy Partain, track and field
•2007 Sally Hinton, golf
•2008 Missy Linnens, golf
•2009 Jordan Hawkins, swimming & diving
•2010 Samantha Aguilar, soccer
•2011 Chelsea Dirks-Ham, swimming & diving
Kelley Michnowicz, volleyball
•2012 Casey Garrison, basketball
Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar-Athlete
•1981 Diane Linneman, basketball
•1982 Stephanie Dutton, field hockey
•1983 Jennifer Seveland Box, volleyball
Diane Busenbark, cross country
•1984 Mandy Charles, track
•1985 Maureen Manda, volleyball
•1986 Lisa Einheuser, cross country and track
•1987 Marla Douglass, basketball
•1988 Julie Warren, volleyball
•1989 Mandy Struckhoff, volleyball
•1990 Pat Stock, volleyball
•1991 Karen Heman, field hockey
•1992 Charity Shira, basketball
•1993 JanaRae Abram, tennis
•1994 Melody Howard, basketball
•1995 Linda Shipton, field hockey
•1996 Jodie Schurle, track & field
•1997 Alissa Donaldson, field hockey and soccer
•1998 Michelle Witzke, volleyball
•1999 Cheryl Haslag, cross country and track
Lisa Davies, basketball
•2000 Lani Kim, volleyball
•2001 Jessica Gorham, softball
•2002 Erica Adams, swimming
•2003 Rhonda Allen, cross country and track
•2004 Mary Litvan, soccer
•2005 Karen Hymer, soccer
•2006 Sarah Klaassen, basketball
•2007 Melissa Behr, field hockey
•2008 Carrie Vestal, cross country and track
•2009 Cara Belcher, swimming & diving
•2010 Chelsea Ray, swimming & diving
•2011 Katharina Voelkel, swimming & diving
•2012 Terry Phillips, cross country and track
