MVC Release
ST LOUIS – Celebrating 25 years of women's sports in the Missouri Valley Conference, Missouri State women's track & field alumnae Augustian Charles Frederikson, Cheasa Gibson and Verneta Lesforis were named to the MVC Track 25-Year Anniversary Team, announced by the league Thursday.

The first representative for Missouri State on the 25-Year Anniversary Team is Augustian Charles Frederikson, who was a top Bears athlete during the 1999-03 track seasons. The six-time All-MVC, two-time All-American, four-time MVC champion and a 1999 Pan American Games competitor holds five school records including the outdoor 800-meter (2:06.30).

Cheasa Gibson, a top notch sprinter for Missouri State during the 2001-04 seasons. Gibson is an eight-time All-MVC, six-time NCAA Qualifier, 12-time MVC champion, three-time Most Outstanding Track and Most Valuable Athlete at the Missouri Valley Championship and the all-time MSU record in the indoor 400-meter dash (52.86).

The final Bear to make the Valley's elite list was Verneta Lesforis, a stand out sprinter for the Bears from 1997-99. Lesforis is a three-time All-MVC recipient, 16-time MVC champion, holds the indoor MVC Championship record in the 400-meter dash (53:82), two-time All-American and owns a Most Outstanding Track athlete honor. She made a trip to the 2000 Olympic Games and still holds the MSU school record in the 400-meter dash (52.21).

All three were also honored as a member of the MVC Track and Field All-Centennial Team in 2006-07.

Selection for the women's track 25-Anniversary Team was determined by a 25-person committee. The team composition includes years in which league teams competed under the MVC umbrella during the past 25 years (1992-2017) and does not include competition from the current season. The voting panel determined a 'Top 10' from a list of 25 finalists.

The Missouri Valley Conference was founded in 1907 and is the nation's second oldest Division I athletics conference. Women's sports were incorporated into the MVC in 1992, having previously competed under the Gateway Conference banner from 1982-92.

The 25-Year Field Team will be announced on Tuesday, May 8^th