SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State University softball team took home the night's top honor at the 16th annual Bears Choice Awards, Wednesday evening (April 30), at Juanita K. Hammons Hall.
 
Coach Kasey Griffith's squad was the top point collector in the Bear Cup team competition for community service, academic excellence, athletic excellence, Bears supporting Bears, and personal development. It is the fifth time Bears softball has earned this award.

The sports of women's soccer, women's golf, and acrobatics & tumbling were also finalists for this year's Bear Cup honors. 
 
A number of individual student-athletes were also recognized for their excellence as part of the year-end celebration of Bears Athletics. Members of Missouri State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) served as the presenters for the evening, which included a red-carpet entry and awards ceremony. SAAC members also took the lead in the nomination, selection and voting processes for the event and the awards presented.
 
The event also included a tribute to the 1,308 hours of volunteer and community service efforts by MSU's student-athletes during the 2024-25 academic year. The total economic impact of MSU's efforts of over $30,000 to the Springfield community.

Women's basketball sensation Lacy Stokes (Mt. Vernon, Mo.) was awarded the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, while men's soccer All-American Jesus Barea (Cádiz, Spain) was selected as the recipient of the Bill Rowe Male Student-Athlete of the Year. 
 
This year's Graduate Student-Athletes of the Year were presented to all-conference quarterback Jacob Clark (Rockwall, Texas) and women's basketball stalwart Paige Rocca (Iowa City, Iowa). Likewise, the Senior Student-Athletes of the Year were baseball's Nick Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.) and Lacy Stokes. Stokes was named Junior Student-Athlete of the Year in 2023-24, while Rodriguez is the first baseball player to win the coveted senior honor.

The 2024-25 Junior Student-Athlete of the Year awards went to men's soccer's Alex Matthews (Derbyshire, England) and women's golfer Kiser Pannier (Sedalia, Mo.). Matthews is the fifth soccer player in seven years to earn the program's top junior honor. 

The 2025 Sophomore Student-Athlete of the Year awards went to football offensive lineman Cash Hudson (Tulsa, Okla.) and volleyball sensation Brooke Eslinger (Cleveland, Tenn.), while this year's Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year honors were given to baseball's Michael Yusypchuk (Edmonton, Alberta) and women's basketball's Lainie Douglass (Overland Park, Kan.) 

The Maroon and White Scholar-Athletes of the Year were awarded to softball pitcher Mackenzie Chacon (Oologah, Okla.), women's soccer standout Grace O'Keefe (Overland Park, Kan.), and men's swimmer Alex Boutin (Allen, Texas). 

The individual sport most valuable players were also named, as voted on by head coaches. The men's team MVPs were awarded to: soccer's Jesus Barea (Cádiz, Spain); football's Jacob Clark (Rockwall, Texas), swimmer Reese Hodgins (Chanhassen, Minn.), golf's Tim Holmberg (Uppsala, Sweden), basketball's Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and baseball's Nick Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.). It was the second team MVP honor for Barea.

Women's team MVPs were awarded to: beach volleyball's Rebecca Bach (Clearwater, Fla.), cross country's Mary Margaret Harris (Fayetteville, Ark.), swimmer Lana Janson (Cape Town, South Africa), soccer's Julia Kristensen (St. Charles, Mo.), tennis' Sandra Lukacova (Kosice, Slovakia), softball's Sidney McLaughlin (Stillwater, Okla.), acrobatics and tumbling's Rebekah McNeely (Versailles, Ky.), STUNT's Peighton Powell (Rogersville, Mo.), track sprinter Olivia Rodgers (Dearborn, Mo.), volleyball's Morgan Sprague (Ballwin, Mo.), basketball's Lacy Stokes (Mt. Vernon, Mo.), and golfer Coyee Zhang (Shenzhen, China). Stokes, Rodgers and Lukacova each earned team MVP honors for a second time.

Now in its ninth year in the award rotation, the Heart of the Bear Award was established to recognize the department's two most inspirational, hard-working student-athletes for their determination on and off the field of play. The honor has since expanded to 18 honorees this year, including: men's swimmer Chris Bedsole (Huntsville, Ala.), women's soccer player Ella Becker (St. Louis, Mo.), acrobatics and tumbling's Clarissa Bowers (St. Louis, Mo.), women's basketball's JaNyla Bush (St. Louis, Mo.), men's basketball guard Logan Epes (Garland, Texas), volleyball's Brooke Eslinger (Cleveland, Tenn.), women's swimmer Evie Kolb (Springfield, Mo.), football's Connor Lair (West Plains, Mo.), cross country's Anna Lombardo (Eureka, Mo.), tennis' Sandra Lukacova (Kosice, Slovakia), softball outfielder Chloe Merced (Springfield, Mo.), women's golfer Kiser Pannier (Sedalia, Mo.), baseball's Nick Rodriguez (Tampa, Fla.), track thrower Jaide Rose (St. Louis, Mo.), beach volleyball's Maddie Schrandt (Andale, Kan.), men's soccer's Daniel Souza (Constancia, Portugal), STUNT's Autumn Speckhart (Quincy, Ill.), and men's golfer Owen Swearingen (Nevada, Mo.).

The Missouri State beach volleyball team claimed the Academic Excellence Award for the first time. Softball earned the Community Service Award for the fourth time, and women's basketball earned the Athletic Excellence Award for the third time. Additional team awards went to women's track and field (Bears Supporting Bears), STUNT (Personal Development Award), and baseball (Upset of the Year Award).
 
Women's basketball was voted as the Team of the Year, and Lady Bears head coach Beth Cunningham was named Coach of the Year. Amanda Schmelzer from Compliance was voted Staff Member of the year and Bearpocalypse was named Best Fan Award recipient.

The newly-created Legacy Award was presented to 11 student-athletes for going above and beyond in their college experience to leave a lasting impact on Missouri State Athletics. This inaugural recipients were: volleyball's Maddy Bushnell (Springfield, Mo.), beach volleyball's Riley Drew (Virginia Beach, Va.), baseball shortstop Tyler Epstein (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), runner Mary Margaret Harris (Fayetteville, Ark.), swimmer Reese Hodgins (Chanhassen, Minn.), soccer goalkeeper Will Lowry (Roeland Park, Kan.), women's soccer forward Grace O'Keefe (Overland Park, Kan.), women's basketball standout Paige Rocca (Iowa City, Iowa), swimmer Samantha Roemer (Bettendorf, Iowa), golfer Lilly Whitley (Edmond, Okla.), and football's Jalen Williams (Overland Park, Kan.), 

This year's senior speeches were presented by Samantha Roemer from swimming and Grace Spoonhour from cross country and track.