Ken B. Jones Award

Award Information
2009-10 was the 17th year that the top student-athletes have been honored in the MIAA. The winners are chosen by a panel representing each of the MIAA-member institutions, as well as the conference office. The group includes directors of athletics, senior women's administrators, faculty representatives, and sports information directors.

The panel judges the nominees on their athletic and academic accomplishments, along with any campus/community service during each year as well as their career

The awards are named for the MIAA's first full-time commissioner, who retired in 1997 after 16 years of service to the conference, and passed away in May 2004 at age 74.

2009-10 Women's Winner
Cassondra Boston
Emporia State
Women’s Basketball
5-6, Sr., Des Moines, Iowa
3.68 cumulative GPA as an accounting major

2009-10 Athletic Accomplishments: Named MIAA Women’s Basketball Most Valuable Player as she led the Lady Hornets to the NCAA Division II National Championship...was a consensus All-American, earning State Farm All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Women’s D-II Bulletin All-American and Daktronics/CoSIDA All-American honors...was the South Central Regional Player of the Year...was named to all-tournament team at the Elite Eight, South Central Regional and MIAA Tournament...was a four-time MIAA Player of the Week...led the league in scoring, was second in free throw percentage, third in assists, fourth in made three-pointers, fifth in field goal percentage and is eighth in assist to turnover ratio and three point field goal percentage...made 89 three-pointers this season to rank third on the Lady Hornet single season list and is third with 173 made free throws...was named ESU’s Outstanding Female Student Athlete of the Year for the second time.

2009-10 Academic Accomplishments:  Graduated in December (in 3 1⁄2  years) with BS in accounting and began work on MBA while leading the Lady Hornets to the National Championship...was named First-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District...will be an MIAA Scholar Athlete and named to the MIAA Academic Honor Roll...named to ESU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
 
2009-10 Campus/Community Service: Participated in Hanging with a Hornet, a mentoring program that brought ESU athletes to Emporia Middle School once a week for lunch and conversation with the students...took part in Laps for Landon, a fund raiser named in honor of an Emporia 3-year-old who is fighting Cystic Fibrosis to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation...helped with Rebuilding Together, the nation’s leading nonprofit that provides free rehabilitation and critical repairs to the homes of low-income Americans...built dog houses for the Lyon County Human Society...assisted Emporia Arts Council with promotion of “The Wizard of Oz” for Classic Movie Night at the historic Granada Theater in downtown Emporia...met with students at Bode Middle School in St. Joseph, Mo. and took part in a clinic and autograph signing at MWSU Fieldhouse during the Elite Eight.
 
Career Athletic, Academic and Service Accomplishments: Athletics: She was first-team All-MIAA and second-team Daktronics All-Region as a junior... was named to the 2009 MIAA All-Tournament team...As a sophomore was named second-team All-MIAA...set the ESU single game record with nine treys and a career high 34 points against Cameron and scored 29 points against KU in 2007-08... was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and scored 20 points in ESU's nationally televised win over #3 Washburn in 2006-07...had a game high 21 points in an exhibition win over K-State in her first game in a Lady Hornet uniform...has 1,844 points in her career to rank fourth at ESU...is second in career three pointers, fifth in made free throws, sixth in assists and ninth in made field goals...has led the Lady Hornets to four NCAA Tournaments, two MIAA regular season championships, two NCAA Sweet Sixteens and the 2010 National Championship...was ESU’s eighth repeat winner of Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
 
Academics: Graduated cum laude in 3 1⁄2 years with a 3.68 GPA in accounting...was a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection...has been an MIAA Scholar-Athlete (formerly Academic All-MIAA) all four years...has been on the MIAA Academic Honor Roll three times (freshmen were not eligible until 2009)...has been on ESU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll all eight semesters.  
 
Service: Has volunteered for Operation Breakthrough, Habitat for Humanity, the Lady Hornets Adopt a Family and Holiday Resort Retirement home visit, the Menu Foods Carnival for Kids, Walk for the American Diabetes Association and baby sitting for Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS).

2009-10 Men's Winner
Myles Burnsides
Northwest Missouri
Football
5-11, 195, Sr., Maryville, Mo.
3.90 undergrad GPA as a business management major; 3.86 graduate GPA (Business Administration MBA, completed 21 of 33 credits)

2009-10 Athletic Accomplishments:  First-Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)…First-Team All-American by Don Hansen’s Football Gazette – First-Team All-Region…Second-Team All-American by Daktronics (CoSIDA) – First-Team All-Region…Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press…Second-Team All-American by D2Football.com…Named a preseason All-American by four publications…First-Team All-MIAA…Second-leading tackler for the national champion Bearcats (14-1), who won their final 14 games…Eighth-leading tackler in the MIAA with 82…Led the MIAA and ranked 21st nationally with 5 interceptions…Returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against Fort Hays State (10/31)…Had an interception in three consecutive games…Had a season-high 12 tackles in a regional championship win against #1 Central Washington…Had 10 tackles in a win against Pittsburg State at Arrowhead Stadium…Helped Northwest win its fourth consecutive MIAA championship…Helped Northwest extend its conference winning streak to 37 games…Helped Northwest reach the national championship game for the fifth consecutive season
 
2009-10 Academic Accomplishments:  Distinguished Scholar…Perfect 4.0 grade point average in both the fall and spring trimesters…First-team Academic All-American as awarded by CoSIDA (second-team in 2008).
 
2009-10 Campus/Community Service:  Northwest Spring Work Day – April 17… Highway cleanup, yard cleanup around Maryville… Football Camps (summer of 2009) – Defensive Back Drills; 1-on-1 interaction with campers… Fitness Day at Horace Mann Elementary School (spring semester)… Reading Day at Horace Mann Elementary School (fall semester)… Read Christmas stories to schools in Florence, Ala., during the week of the national championship
 
Career Athletic, Academic and Service Accomplishments:  Service: Northwest Spring Work Day (held annually every April)… Northwest Football Camps (held annually every summer)
 
Academic: Had a perfect 4.0 grade point average during all five fall trimesters when football is in season… Northwest Marketing Student of the Year (2008-09)… Four-time Distinguished Scholar award winner… Two-time Academic All-American (2008, 2009)… Three-time Academic All-District selection (2007, 2008, 2009)
 
Athletic:  2008 Ron Lenz National Defensive Player of the Year as selected by CoSIDA – First National Player of the Year Award in program history… 2008 First-Team All-American by four publications… 2009 First-Team All-American by two publications and second-team choice by three others… 2008 Regional Defensive Player of the Year… 2008 MIAA Most Valuable Defensive Player – Third defensive back in league history to win the award and first since 2002; Fourth Bearcat to win the award in five seasons… Three-time First-Team All-MIAA Defensive Back (2007, 2008, 2009)… All-MIAA Honorable mention (2006)… Led the MIAA and ranked seventh nationally with seven interceptions in 2008… Northwest’s leading tackler as a sophomore… Started the final 47 games of his collegiate career spanning the last four seasons… Started 53 total games and played in all 59 Northwest games in the last four seasons…Started in four national championship contests… Program Records:  294 tackles (185 unassisted) are the most by a defensive back (eighth overall); 16 interceptions are third-most in program history; Returned two interceptions for scores, had 9.5 TFL, 33 passes defended, 2 FF, 1 FR, 1 blocked punt

MIAA Ken B. Jones
Student-Athlete of the Year Award Winners

Men
1993-94 Michael Obertop, SBU, Tennis
1994-95 Bob Poisal, UCM, Baseball
1995-96 Michael Dritlein, WU, Football
1996-97 Aaron Christensen, UCM, Baseball
1997-98 Brian Moorman, PSU, Football/Track & Field*+
1998-99 Brian Moorman, PSU, Football/Track & Field
1999-2000 Jason Reinberg, TSU, Basketball
2000-01 Matt Meyr, MSSU, Baseball & Clint Steiner, UCM, Football
2001-02 Tucker Woolsey, NWMSU, Track & Field
2002-03 Mark Eori, SBU, Tennis*
2003-04 Tyler Paul, ESU, Football
2004-05 Clint Prange, NWMSU, Track & Field
2005-06 Josh Lamberson, NWMSU, Football
2006-07 Ryan Meredith, PSU, Football
2007-08 Nick Smart, SBU, Football
2008-09 Caleb Farabi, PSU, Football
2009-10 Myles Burnsides, NWMSU, Football 

Women
1993-94 Becky Wilson, UMR, Cross Country/Track & Field
1994-95 Shally Lundien, MSSU, Softball
1995-96 Jenny Pracht, PSU, Basketball
1996-97 Deandra Doubrava, ESU, Volleyball/Track & Field*
1997-98 Nikki Olberding, WU, Basketball
1998-99 Julie Cobb, UCM, Softball & Deandra Doubrava, ESU, Track & Field
1999-2000 Leslie Dudley, PSU, Basketball
2000-01 Emily Bloss, ESU, Basketball
2001-02 Jeanette Mott, PSU, Cross Country/Track & Field
2002-03 Sarah Wuertz, ESU, Track & Field
2003-04 Kate Hamera, UMR, Cross Country/Track & Field
2004-05 Sara Murray, TSU, Soccer
2005-06 Kristin Anderson, UCM, Indoor Track & Field
2006-07 Sarah Shearman, TSU, Volleyball
2007-08 Michelle Stueve, ESU, Basketball
2008-09 Venessa Lee, PSU, Cross Country/Track & Field
2009-10 Cassondra Boston, ESU, Women's Basketball

*=won as a junior +=unanimous selection