ST. LOUIS – For the fourth time this season, Drake University student-athletes have swept the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athlete of the Week Awards with Emma Huston (Des Moines, Iowa) and Robert McCann (Mississauga, Ontario) earning the honor on Tuesday, May 3. The award is the sixth of the season for Huston now gives the Bulldogs a total of 23 Scholar-Athletes of the Week this season.
Huston, who has won the award in back-to-back weeks, finished second in the 1,500 meters at the 107th Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee. Running a tremendous race that finished in a sprint to the finish line, Huston was edged by just 0.04 seconds as both competitors dove across and collapsed at the finish.
Huston's time of 4:23.14 is three seconds off her personal best, which ranks No. 1 in the Valley. She is also the top-ranked MVC runner in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters and has set four school records this season. Academically, she has a 3.97 GPA as a biology major and is a two-time Elite 18 Award winner. She has previously been named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on April 26, April 5, Feb. 16, Jan. 26 and Oct. 19
McCann made history last week in winning the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the prestigious Drake Relays presented by Hy-Vee with a winning time of 8:49.14 in driving rain and wind. McCann's win was the first for a Bulldog at the Drake Relays since 2013 and the program's first Relays steeplechase win since 1981 and just the second all-time.
His time was just two seconds off his personal best in the event, which is easily the fastest in the MVC this season. He currently ranks 12th in the West Region in the event and 18th nationally. McCann owns a 3.93 GPA as an actuarial science major and is a two-time Elite 18 Award winner.
This week's awards continues Drake's extensive collection of MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week awards. A Drake student-athlete has won the award 23 times in the 37 weeks the honor has been awarded in 2015-16 including four weeks in which the Bulldogs swept the men's and women's honors.
To qualify for Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week laurels, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.
Redshirt freshmen and first-year junior college transfers are not eligible. In addition to the academic qualifications, student-athletes will be evaluated on their athletic performance for a one-week period.
2015-16 Drake Scholar-Athlete of the Week Winners
Emma Huston – Women's Track & Field – May 3
Robert McCann – Men's Track & Field – May 3
Emma Huston – Women's Track and Field – April 26
Reed Fischer – Men's Track & Field – April 19
Emma Huston – Women's Track & Field – April 5
Emma Huston – Women's Track & Field – Feb. 16
Reed Timmer – Men's Basketball – Feb. 2
Emma Huston – Women's Track & Field – Jan. 26
Reed Timmer – Men's Basketball – Jan. 12
Maddy Dean – Women's Basketball – Jan. 12
Graham Woodward – Men's Basketball – Jan. 5
Kale Abrahamson – Men's Basketball – Dec. 29
Reed Timmer – Men's Basketball – Dec. 22
Reed Timmer – Men's Basketball – Dec. 15
Reed Timmer – Men's Basketball – Dec. 8
Rai Ahmed-Green – Women's Track & Field – Dec. 8
Kale Abrahamson – Men's Basketball – Dec. 1
James Grunert – Men's Soccer – Nov. 24
Paul Ciszewski – Men's Soccer – Nov. 16
Steven Enna – Men's Soccer – Oct. 19
Emma Huston – Women's Cross Country – Oct. 19
Reed Fischer – Men's Cross Country – Oct. 6
Ben LeMay – Men's Soccer – Sept. 22
