SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University swimming standout
Christopher Heye (pronounced HI) was announced Monday as the winner of the 2018 Virgil Cheek Award.
The annual honor is bestowed on the graduating MSU senior male student-athlete best demonstrating high qualities in scholarship, character, attendance, leadership and athletic performance. It has been given annually since 1955 and is named in honor of the long-time Missouri State faculty athletics representative and business faculty member. Voting is conducted by Missouri State's six men's intercollegiate athletics head coaches.
Heye was named 2018 Mid-American Conference Outstanding Senior of the Year and earned All-MAC first-team honors after winning gold in the 400-yard individual medley at the MAC Championship Meet. The MSU team captain made NCAA B-Standard times in three events as a senior and was named to the Academic All-MAC Team for the third straight season. He was also honored by the Missouri Valley Conference as one of its 2018 State Farm Good Neighbor Award recipients.
Heye's career was also highlighted by a trip to the 2016 Olympic Trials, five MAC Championship meet individual medals and three straight accolades on the All-MAC squad. He was also voted as the recipient of the 2018 Bill Rowe Award by his fellow Missouri State student-athletes.
He will attend dental school this fall at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and is the first Missouri State swimmer to earn the Cheek Award in the 64-year history of the award. He graduated in May with a 3.65 GPA.
Other finalists for this year's award were (alphabetically):
Erik Furmanek (football),
Alize Johnson (basketball),
Liam Priestley (soccer), and Landon Ruff (baseball).
The two remaining year-end Athletics awards -- the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Senior Female Scholar Athlete Award and Outstanding Female Athlete Award -- will be announced in the coming days.
#MSUBears
Past Virgil Cheek Award Recipients
• 1955 Jerry Anderson, basketball, track
• 1956 Ron Whitaker, football
• 1957 George Simpson, track
• 1958 Max Oldham, basketball
• 1959 Russ Robinson, basketball
• 1960 Charlie Finley, football, track
• 1961 Jerry Stockard, basketball
• 1962 Carl Wilks, basketball
• 1963 Edsel Matthews, basketball
• 1964 Rich Johanningmeier, football
• 1965 Jerry Boyer, football
• 1966 Dan Young, football
• 1967 Bill Douglass, football, track
• 1968 Dennis Scott, football
• 1969 Danny Cook, baseball
• 1970 Bill Lamberson, track
• 1971 Chuck Williams, basketball
• 1972 Bob Curl, basketball, track
• 1973 Eric Thompson, basketball
• 1974 Randy Magers, basketball, baseball
• 1975 Bob Grana, football
• 1976 Kent Stringer, football
• 1977 John Prasuhn, track, cross country
• 1978 Terry Kasper, football, baseball
• 1979 Ron Snider, baseball
• 1980 Mitch Ware, football
• 1981 Bobby Biser, golf
• 1982 Mark Daniels, football
• 1983 Darrin Newbold, football
• 1984 Anthony Boggs, basketball
• 1985 Brian Smith, basketball
• 1986 Phil Schlegel, basketball
• 1987 Scott Hickox, basketball
• 1988 Preston Estes, football
• 1989 Scott Hartwig, football
• 1990 Chris Stange, basketball
• 1991 Jeff Eiserman, golf
• 1992 Tim McDuffey, football
• 1993 Chad Lakin, baseball
• 1994 Jim Prendergast, wrestling
• 1995 Chad Gardner, cross country, track
• 1996 Dan Kneeshaw, football, baseball
• 1997 Brad Barnes, soccer
• 1998 Neal McNamara, tennis
• 1999 Derek Jensen, football
• 2000 Brad St. Louis, football
• 2001 Matt White, football
• 2002 Jason Ringena, football
• 2003 Blake Boldon, cross country, track
• 2004 Rishi Garbharran, tennis
• 2005 Brad Durham, football
• 2006 Nathan Platz, soccer
• 2007 Mike Radon, football
• 2008 David Tillman, football
• 2009 Chris Playter, baseball
• 2010 Justin Fuehrmeyer, basketball
• 2011 David Arkin, football
• 2012 Heath Melugin, soccer
• 2013 Daily Young, golf
• 2014 Trevor Spangenberg, soccer
• 2015 Caleb Schaffitzel, football
• 2016
Sam Perez, baseball
• 2017
Dylan Cole, football
• 2018
Christopher Heye, swimming
