May 27, 2016
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) has named Missouri State senior field hockey player Jessi Pope (Stafford, Va.) as a 2016 All-American Athlete Award recipient. This award recognizes student-athletes from across the nation for their athletic accomplishments and dedication to strength and conditioning.
Nominated by MSU strength and conditioning coach Christina Rasnake, Pope was nominated based on her determination to improve in athletics while maintaining academic prominence and serving as a great model for all student-athletes.
"We are proud to have coach Rasnake join the NSCA in its mission to safely improve athletic performance," says Coach Scott Caulfield, the NSCA's head strength and conditioning coach, "Supporting student-athletes like Jessi guarantees a stronger future for the NSCA."
Pope started all 18 games for the Bears during her senior season and earned Academic All-MAC honors for the third straight season. She also claimed national academic honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association for the fourth straight season. Pope tallied five points with a goal and three assists in 2015 while helping the Bears to their first MAC Tournament appearance in four years.
Pope was one of 10 seniors on the 2015 Missouri State field hockey team and graduated summa cum laude on May 13 with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average in Psychology.
#MSUBears
About the National Strength & Conditioning Association The National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) is an international nonprofit educational association founded in 1978. Evolving from a membership of 76, the association now serves nearly 30,000 members in 52 countries. Drawing upon its vast network of members, the NSCA develops and presents the most advanced information regarding strength training and conditioning practices, injury prevention, and research findings.
Unlike any other organization, the NSCA brings together a diverse group of professionals from the sport science, athletic, allied health, and fitness industries. These individuals are all in pursuit of achieving a common goal-the utilization of proper strength training and conditioning to improve athletic performance and fitness.
Central to its mission, the NSCA provides a bridge between the scientist in the laboratory and the practitioner in the field. By working to find practical applications for new research findings in the strength and conditioning field, the association fosters the development of strength training and conditioning as a discipline and as a profession.
Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the NSCA serves as a valuable resource for its members, the fitness industry, general public, and the media. The association provides a wide variety of resources and opportunities designed to strengthen, build, advance, and unify.
