Feb. 24, 2016
MVC Release
Missouri State women's swimmer Sydney Zupan has been named this week's Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Commissioner Doug Elgin announced Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Zupan earned the MVC recognition for the first time after finishing the MVC Swimming and Diving Championship on Saturday, Feb. 20, with first-team all-conference honors. She also carries a 4.00 cumulative grade point average in nursing.
In the championship-deciding 400 free relay, Zupan swam the fastest third leg among all competitors in 51.17 seconds, but Missouri State's school-record 3:24.35 finish fell .65 seconds behind Southern Illinois' runner-up performance that won the Salukis the MVC title.
The Wildwood, Missouri, native also competed in two other relays for the Bears. She earned a gold medal as the first leg of MSU's 400 medley relay squad, helping the Bears finish in a season-best 3:43.66 that missed the school record by less than a second. She also earned a silver medal as part of the Bears' 200 free relay squad that touched the wall in a season-best time of 1:33.95.
The sophomore finished with the fastest times in two different preliminaries to highlight her individual performances. Zupan eventually split third-place honors in the 100 backstroke after finishing the prelims with a lifetime-best 55.62. She also had a top time of 2:00.86 in the 200 back prelims and eventually finished fourth in the A-Final. Zupan earned a podium appearance in the 500 free after her season-best 4:58.83 finish in prelims.
Zupan's male counterpart award winner this week is Loyola track and field athlete Stephen Hubona. To qualify for MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.
Redshirt freshmen and first-year junior college transfers are not eligible. In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.
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