SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women's basketball standout Lacy Stokes (Mt. Vernon, Mo.) has been named as the recipient of the 2025 Missouri State Outstanding Female Athlete Award, announced by MSU Athletics on Friday (June 13).

First awarded in 1981, the MSU Outstanding Female Athlete Award is presented annually to the university's top female athletic performer, as voted by the head coaches of the MoState's 13 women's intercollegiate programs.
 
Stokes received MVC Defensive Player of the Year, All-MVC first team, MVC All-Defensive Team and MVC All-Tournament Team accolades this year while leading the Lady Bears in scoring (14.4 ppg), assists (148), steals (90), free throw percentage (.793) and minutes (34.8 mpg). She turned in the fourth-best season assist-to-turnover ratio in program history (2.114) and captured the program's career record for assist-to-turnover (2.06). Likewise, she played the second-most minutes in a single-season in Lady Bear history and ranked inside the top 25 in NCAA Division I in steals (19th) and steals per game (23rd).

Stokes helped lead coach Beth Cunningham's team to a 26-9 overall record this season. The Lady Bears earned a share of the MVC regular-season title and earned a berth in the WBIT for the second straight year.

She is the 13th basketball player to earn this award and the fourth Lady Bear in eight years to be so honored, joining recent recipients Danielle Gitzen (2019), Alexa Willard (2020) and Brice Calip (2021).

Other finalists for MSU's 2024-25 Outstanding Female Athlete Award were: Camielle Day (soccer), EllaRose Goser (acrobatics and tumbling), Allyson Larkin (beach volleyball), Olivia Rogers (track and field), Morgan Sprague (volleyball) and McKenzie Vaughan (softball).