Track & Field Squad Claims Bear Cup at 2023 Bears Choice Awards

SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State University women’s track and field team took home the night’s top honor at the 14th annual Bears Choice Awards, Monday evening at Great Southern Bank Arena.
 
Coach Jordan Fife’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 track team’s third Bear Cup run and second in the last three years.

Women’s tennis, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, and soccer 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 included a tribute to more than 1,100 hours of volunteer and community service efforts by MSU’s student-athletes during the 2022-23 academic year. The total economic impact of MSU’s student-athlete volunteer efforts is over $32,000 annually to the Springfield community.

Women’s basketball standout Sydney Wilson (Overland Park, Kan.) was awarded the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Female Student-Athlete of the Year Award, while swimmer Pawel Krawczyk (Warsaw, Poland) was selected as the recipient of the Bill Rowe Male Student-Athlete of the Year. Previously, Krawczyk was named as the Male Freshman of the Year in 2019 and Male Senior of the Year in 2022.
 
This year’s Senior Student-Athletes of the Year were presented to men’s men’s golfer Max Kreikemeier (Chesterfield, Mo.) and standout sprinter Calandra Henry (Clarksville, Tenn.) from women’s track. The Junior Student-Athletes of the Year awards sent to men’s soccer forward Jesus Barea (Cadiz, Spain) and All-MVC women’s golfer Kayla Pfitzner (Springfield, Mo.). Pfitzner was named Female Sophomore Student-Athlete of the Year in 2022.

The 2023 Sophomore Student-Athlete of the Year awards went to baseball center fielder Spencer Nivens (Columbia, Mo.) and All-MVC soccer forward Grace O’Keefe (Overland Park, Kan.), while this year’s Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year honors were given to baseball’s Zack Stewart (Lebanon, Mo.) and women’s basketball’s Jade Masogayo (Fort Worth, Texas). Both Nivens and O’Keefe were named Freshman Student-Athletes of the Year in 2022. 

The male and female Scholar-Athletes of the Year were awarded to Krawcyk from men’s swimming and Alyson Piskulic (Mehlville, Mo.) from women’s tennis.
 
In its fifth year in the award rotation, the Heart of the Bear Award, was bestowed on 15 inspirational, hard-working student-athletes for their determination on and off the field of play. The award was created to honor those distinct individuals who have shown leadership, commitment, and grit. The 2023 recipients were football defensive lineman Ikenna Ahumibe (Cerritos, Calif.); men’s basketballer Raphe Ayres (Arlington, Va.); golfer Abby Cavaiani (Wales, Wis.); women’s tennis player Sandra Lukacova (Kosice, Slovakia); men’s soccer’s Javier Martin Gil (Madrid, Spain); Olivia Muriel (Long Beach, Calif.) of beach volleyball; men’s swimmer Storm Opdahl (Chisago City, Minn.); women’s soccer player Hannah Peterson (Kansas City, Mo.); swimmer Samantha Roemer (Bettendorf, Iowa); distance runner Ashley Rolewicz (Everton, Mo.); men’s golfer Owen Swearingen (Nevada, Mo.); softball’s Kat Taylor (Bixby, Okla.); outfielder Drew Townsend (Kansas City, Mo.); volleyball’s Katie Wemhoener (Belleville, Ill.); and Sydney Wilson (Overland Park, Kan.). 
 
The individual sport most valuable players were also named, as voted on by head coaches. The men’s team MVPs were awarded to: basketball’s Donovan Clay (Alton, Ill.); baseball’s Nivens; swimming’s Krawczyk; golf’s Kreikemeier; football’s Jason Shelley (Frisco, Texas); and soccer’s Harry Townsend (Cornwall, England). It was the fourth men’s golf MVP award in as many years for Kreikemeier, while Krawczyk and Shelley picked up their second MVP honor for their respective sports.

Women’s team MVPs were awarded to: golfer Cavaiani; cross country’s Edna Dar (Toronto, Ontario); beach volleyball’s Grayson Hall (Bradenton, Fla.); tennis standout Mary Houston (Fayetteville, Ark.); Manuela Ibarguen (Carmen de Viboral, Columbia) from volleyball; Henry from track; Aniya Thomas (Duncanville, Texas) from basketball; softball’s McKenzie Vaughan (Bella Vista, Ark.); and swimmer Jordan Wenner (Ashburn, Va.). It marks the fourth team MVP awards for Cavaiani and third for Dar.

The Missouri State women’s tennis team claimed the Academic Excellence Award for the fourth time in five years, while softball earned the Community Service Award for the third time. Additional team awards went to women’s swimming and diving (Personal Development Award), men’s soccer (Athletic Excellence Award) and women’s soccer (Bears Supporting Bears Award). Women’s soccer was voted as the Team of the Year. It was the third Athletic Excellence Award for men’s soccer in four years, women’s soccer’s second Bears Supporting Bears honor, and softball third Community Service Award.
 
The MSU Coach of the Year honor went to first-year women’s soccer head coach Kirk Nelson, while the Athletics Staffer of the Year distinction was shared by Suzie Atkinson (AMR Services) and Dr. Ethan Swingle (Learning Services).

This year’s senior speeches were presented by baseball’s Forrest Barnes (Ozark, Mo.) and track standout O’Shayla Muldrow (Little Rock, Ark.).