KEVIN JENISON
GoSycamores.com
ST. LOUIS - Indiana State junior Emily Dixon and sophomore McCall Christopher were named to the 2012 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete team it was announced today by the league office.
Dixon was one of seven student-athletes who were named to the first team while Christopher was one of three selected as Honorable Mention. The two join four other Sycamores were have received the Valley honor since 2006 including two-time first team selection Breanne Smith (2009 and 2010) and first team selections Kayley Bodine (2009), Mackenzie Mack (2010), and Astrid Parsson (2010).
Illinois State's Katie Jean received the MVC Elite 18 Award for the second straight year after winning the individual title at the 2012 MVC Championships hosted by Indiana State. She was one of two unanimous selections in a vote of the Valley's sports information directors along with Missouri State's Kelsey Welber.
Also on the first team is three-time selection Kelly Armundrud of Bradleye, two-time selections Jean, Welber, Gretchen Huhnerkock of Wichita State and Alisha Mathews of Southern Illinois, and first time members Dixon and Brittany Atterbury of Northern Iowa.
Christopher is the only sophomore among the 10 athletes selected Scholar-Athletes and was joined on the honorable mention list by Missouri State's Emma Clegg and Wichita State's Hollie Weatherburn.
The criteria for the MVC scholar-athlete team parallel the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for the academic Capital One Academic All-American program. Nominees must have at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale) while the student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institutions and must have participated in at least 50 percent of her team's rounds or played at the State Farm MVC Championship.
Dixon has a 3.96 grade point average while majoring in Athlete Training at Indiana State and tied for 27th at 2012 MVC Championship with 238 total and rounds of 75-84-79.
The junio entered the MVC Championship with the third best average on the team, carding a scoring average of 80.2 through 25 rounds. She posted 11 rounds in the 70s this season including a season low 75 at the Payne Stewart Memorial where she finished tied for 13th with a season best three-round total of 232.
She has six top 20 finishes in 11 tournaments this season including three top 10 finishes. Dixon's highest finish of the season was a tie for ninth which she accomplished at the IU Fall Kickoff and the Sunshine Spring Classic.
Dixon has received two National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar recognitions (2009-2010, 2010-2011), received the Missouri Valley Conference's Commissioner Academic Excellence Award for 2010-2011, and has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll twice. She has been named to the Indiana State Athletic Director's Honor Roll each semester eligible and to the ISU Scholar-Athlete team.
Christopher has a 3.66 grade point average while majoring in Athletic Training at Indiana State and tied for 13th in 2012 MVC Championships with a three round total of 211 with rounds of 77-79-75.
She entered the MVC Championship with the second best scoring average on the team, carding a scoring average of 79.9 through 25 rounds. She has had 112 rounds in the 70s including a career best 73 in the third round of the Payne Stewart Memorial where she posted scores of 74, 78, and 73 to finish regulation tied for first with a 225 total. She also finished sixth at the IU Fall Kickoff and tied for seventh at the Butler Fall Invitational. She has had six top 20 finishes in 11 tournaments this season.
The sophomore was named a National Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar for the 2010-2011 academic year and was named to the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll last year. She has also been named to the Indiana State Athletic Director's Honor Roll each semester eligible and to the Indiana State Scholar-Athlete team.
