ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Tessa Laska of Drake cross country has been selected as Drake's fall recipient for the State Farm Good Neighbor Award, the Missouri Valley Conference announced Wednesday (Nov. 30).
 
Laska is currently in pursuit of her Masters in Athletic Training at Drake University. During her time at Drake, she has maintained a 3.57 undergraduate GPA in Health Sciences: Clinical & Applied, while also being named to the Dean's List and President's List.
 
Beyond finding success in the classroom, Laska has made an impact on the community around her. She has spent time volunteering with Special Olympic athletes, assisted in Girls in Sports Day activities, and spent time doing trash cleanup with the Drake OT/Pharmacy program. Laska has represented Drake for the Iowa Athletic Trainers Society Student Leadership Council, held the secretary seat for the Drake Athletic Training Club, supervised and officiated Drake Rec Services intramurals, and has been the track and field/cross-country SAAC representative.
 
In an effort to honor the achievements of exceptional student-athletes, the Missouri Valley Conference created the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award.  Twelve student-athletes were named by Commissioner Jeff Jackson as the honorees for the 2022 Fall season.
 
In order to be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must be in good academic standing, must demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service, and must participate in a sport, during the season of recognition.  The Valley will recognize 12 student-athletes three times annually (Fall, Winter, Spring), for a total of 36 honorees. Institutions select their State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award honorees.