ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Drake senior pitcher Mackenzie Hupke punctuated her final season in Des Moines by earning the spring edition of the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award.
 
The Bulldogs' ace hurler collected the Good Neighbor Award after a spectacular individual season on the diamond, a great year in the classroom, and a notable list of community service experiences.
 
Hupke, a finance major and management minor, garnered a 3.56 GPA and has been included on the Dean's List three times and President's List once while also being named to the Missouri Valley Conference Honor Roll.
 
In the community, the Independence, Iowa native has donated her time to aid the efforts of Meals from the Heartland, the ALS Walk, and United Volleyball at the Special Olympics. She also joined a handful of other Drake softball players as volunteers at the Beautiful Bulldog contest during the annual Drake Relays week and assisted at various youth softball practices in the Des Moines area.
 
Hupke complimented her academic success and community outreach by performing well on the softball field. She led the Drake pitching staff with a 9-9 record, 141.2 innings pitched, 3.37 earned run average, eight complete games, and 168 strikeouts.
 
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.