Ken B. Jones Award

Award Information
2010-11 was the 18th 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.

2010-11 Women's Winner
Lindsay Lettow
Central Missouri
Women's Track & Field
5-9, Jr., Urbandale, Iowa
3.73 cumulative GPA as a psychology major minoring in Spanish

2010-11 Athletic Accomplishments: Won the NCAA Division II outdoor heptathlon national championship... Also earned All-America honors in the 400-meter hurdles at the outdoor championships... Reigning NCAA Division II indoor pentathlon National Champion with her final score (4,064) setting an NCAA meet record... It is the highest point total by a D-II female pentathlete... Added two other All-America performances in the meet... Named USTFCCCA Indoor Female Athlete of the Year award following her South Central Regional Female Field Athlete of the Year crowning... She enters the NCAA outdoor National Championships this weekend as the No. 1 seed... The junior's outdoor heptathlon national leading mark (5,610) also achieved the "B Standard" in qualifying for the 2011 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, this summer in Eugene, Ore... She was a four-time MIAA Champion in 2011... Captured MIAA female high-point-athlete of the meet honors for the second consecutive year... Not only did she repeat as MIAA indoor champion in three events (60 Hurdles, 600 Yard Run, Pentathlon) all three were MIAA meet records... She also broke two building and four school records in that meet... She captured her second straight heptathlon crown at the outdoor MIAA championships... Named 2011 South Central Region's outdoor Female Field Athlete of the Year... Set three new UCM Jennies records while re-setting four of her own previously held school records... Her most recent school record was a 19'07" long jump scored May, 14 helped seal her entry in the long jump for the National Championships, just one of a meet-high five events she will compete in... MIAA Women's Track Athlete of the Week for March 28.

2010-11 Academic Accomplishments: 3.73 GPA in psychology while minoring in Spanish... Will be a 2011 MIAA Scholar Athlete Award winner.

2010-11 Community Service: Served as a member of the Jennies' "Literacy Team" that visited a local elementary school to read newly purchased books to the young students... In the summer of 2010 Lettow volunteered her time to help coach the Westside Track Club, a group of high school athletes who workout at Des Moines Valley High School near her home in Iowa... A member of the student organization Psi Chi, which is active in the department of psychological science to contribute to the community and the profession... volunteered to tutor fellow UCM students in Spanish... In the fall she can be found putting her musical talents to work singing the National Anthem before home Jenny volleyball matches... she also sung the anthem at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.

Career Athletic, Academic, and Service Accomplishments:

Athletic:
In her career, Lettow has claimed 10 MIAA championships with 23 All-MIAA performances; 19 individual and four as a member of a relay team... Seven UCM Jennies individual school records belong to her; four indoor and three outdoor... The seven-time All-American added a trio of All-America finishes at the 2011 NCAA Indoor National Championships... 2009-10 South Central Region Female Field Athlete of the Year winner...

Academic:
A 2008-09 MIAA Scholar Athlete Award winner... 2009-10 MIAA Scholar Athlete Award winner... 2010-11 MIAA Scholar Athlete Award winner.

2010-11 Men's Winner
Jake Soy
Northwest Missouri
Football
6-3, 215, Jr., Durant, Iowa
3.76 cumulative GPA as a business management, marketing major

2010-11 Athletic Accomplishments (45%):
Honorable mention honoree on Don Hansen's All-America Team Honorable mention honoree on D2Football.com's All-America Team Named a preseason All-American by four publications First-Team All-Region by Don Hansen's Football Gazette Second-Team All-Region by Daktronics (CoSIDA) First-Team All-MIAA Named a preseason All-American by four publications Tied the MIAA's career record of 40 touchdown receptions (has 39 in the last two seasons) Ranked eighth in the nation in receiving yards with 1,311 Ranked 13th nationally in touchdown receptions with 12 Ranked third in the MIAA and 34th in the nation with 5.93 catches per game (83 total receptions) Had six 100-yard efforts including a career-best 161 yards in a playoff win against Kingsville Started all 14 games (27 consecutive starts ranks fourth on the team) Helped Northwest win its fifth consecutive MIAA championship Helped Northwest extend its conference winning streak to an MIAA record 46 games Helped Northwest reach the national semifinals for the sixth consecutive season

2010-11 Academic Accomplishments (25%):
Earned Academic Excellence Scholarship based on his performance in the classroom Earned full waiver of out-of-state tuition rates based on his performance in the classroom Second-team Academic All-American as awarded by CoSIDA – First-Team All-District Northwest's Academic Honor Roll in both the fall and spring trimesters (3.500 – 3.999 GPA) Inducted into Blue Key – a Northwest honor society dedicated to the tenants of scholarship, leadership and service. Nominees must be involved in campus activities and be in the top one-third of their respective classes scholastically

2010-11 Campus/Community Service (15%):
House of Hope Orphanage Traveled to Haiti May 6-12 alongside Countryside Christian Church to assist House of Hope Orphanage, a non-profit organization whose ministry is dedicated to spreading the love of Jesus by providing food, shelter, clothing and both Christian and secular education to the children of Haiti. Soy planted two gardens, did a ton of maintenance work and rebuilt a main road in town that had been destroyed by the earthquake among other things. He also played football and soccer with 60 kids who occupied two different orphanages. Forty-two of those kids lost their parents in last year's earthquake.

Fellowship of Christian Athletes Soy was a speaker at the FCA's Field of Faith event which took place on Northwest's football field during the Fall of 2010.

Maryville Spring Clean-Up Each spring, members of the Bearcat football team assist the Maryville community in several clean-up items ranging from picking up trash along its highways, cleaning yards of community members or assisting the elderly with any needs they may have around the house. Soy has taken part in this event in each of the last four years.

Eugene Fields and Horace Mann Elementary Schools Soy has read to students at these elementary schools throughout his time in Maryville.

Maryville Nursing Home Soy has read to the elderly throughout his time in Maryville.

Summer Football Camp Soy has served as a youth summer camp counselor all four years he's been in Maryville

Career Athletic, Academic and Service Accomplishments (15%):

Service:
Big Brother Program Soy had a tough time learning how to read when he was young and had to attend a special class in elementary school because of it. When Soy got to high school in Durant, he joined the Big Brother Program and teamed up with kids who were going through the same difficulties in reading that he did. His message: "If I can do it, you can do it".

Northwest Spring Work Day (held annually every April) Volunteer clean-up work for the citizens of Maryville

Northwest Football Camps (held annually every summer) Read to the elderly and to elementary students throughout his time in Maryville

Academic:
2010 Second-team Academic All-American as awarded by CoSIDA – First-Team All-District 2009 Second-Team Academic All-District as awarded by CoSIDA Northwest's Academic Honor Roll in all eight fall and spring trimesters (3.500 – 3.999 GPA) Had a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the summer trimesters of 2009 and 2010 Earned Academic Excellence Scholarship based on his performance in the classroom Came in as a Tower Scholar which is one step below Academic Excellence Scholar

Earned full waiver of out-of-state tuition rates based on his performance in the classroom Earned during the summer trimester of 2008

Athletic:
2009 National Wide Receiver of the Year as selected by Don Hansen's Football Gazette First player in program history to earn the award Led the nation with 27 touchdown receptions and 1,559 yards receiving Is the second player in Division II history to catch 27 touchdowns in one season 1,559 yards receiving is the 13th highest tally in Division II history

2009 First-Team All-American by three publications Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press (Division II, III and NAIA team)

Two-time first-team All-MIAA selection (2009, 2010) Unanimous choice in 2009

40 career touchdown catches rank 20th in Division II history MIAA Record

Northwest all-time rankings: First in career touchdown receptions (40) First in season touchdown receptions (27 in 2009) First in touchdown catches in a single game (4, twice) First in season receiving yards (1,559 in 2009) Second in season receptions (92 in 2009) Sixth in career receiving yards (3,010) Seventh in career receptions (185)

2009 National Champion; 2010 National Semifinalist 2008, 2009, 2010 MIAA Champions (27-0) Caught a 26-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-4 in the 2009 national championship game that gave Northwest a 30-20 lead with 20 minutes remaining (Northwest won 30-23)

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
2010-11 Jake Soy, 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
2010-11 Lindsay Lettow, UCM, Women's Track & Field* 

*=won as a junior +=unanimous selection