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| Megan Foster hurls the javelin during track and field action at the K.T. Woodman meet in Wichita this spring. |
WSU claims third place in Missouri Valley Conference All-Sports Trophy standings, marking a three-year improvement from seventh to third.
“It is a tremendous accomplishment for our athletic program to move up and finish third in the mvc All-Sports Trophy standings,” comments Jim Schaus, athletics director.
“We were eighth just a few years ago and have steadily improved each year to become one of the elite total athletic programs in our conference. This award is important because it means you are committed to excellence in all of your sports programs, not just a few. I believe we have an excellent chance to win the championship next year — and in the future. I commend our coaches and student-athletes for the fine efforts this year on the athletic field and in the classroom.”
A spring-sports surge — including a baseball regular-season championship and an outdoor track and field men’s title, which is second-year head coach Steve Rainbolt’s first at Wichita State — pushed the Shockers into third place behind Southwest Missouri State and Illinois State, both of which won three team titles.
“We were really excited about the move up in the All-Sports Trophy rankings as a result of the high finishes in track and field at the Valley Championship,” Rainbolt says. “Going into the meet we knew moving up was a possibility. We discussed it with the team, and it was certainly significant as we prepared for the meet.”
Wichita State has won the Valley’s All-Sports Trophy 12 times, including six straight times from 1978-83 and three straight from 1964-66. The last time WSU finished higher than third was during the 1997-98 season when Wichita State finished runner-up to Illinois State.
The All-Sports Trophy is based on a school’s average finish in each of the sponsored championships by the Missouri Valley Conference. Teams are awarded one point for first, two for second, three for third, etc., and the total accumulated points are divided by the number of sports in which a particular school competes.
Here’s a look at the final standings, with each school’s average finish listed to the right:
1. SMS, 3.526
2. Illinois State, 3.529
3. Wichita State, 3.900
4. Northern Iowa, 4.000
5. Creighton, 4.846
6. Indiana State, 5.179
7. Southern Illinois, 5.412
8. Evansville, 6.300
9. Drake, 6.429
10. Bradley, 6.813
— WSU Sports Information
