Jessica Koch and T. J. Johnson were named Female and Male Student Athlete of the Year.
Griffon basketball swept the Student Athlete of the Year awards, as Jessica Koch was named Female Student Athlete of the Year and T.J. Johnson was named Male Student Athlete of the Year at the 13th annual MWSU/St. Joseph News-Press Student Athlete Honors Banquet in April.
The winners were chosen based on their performances on the playing field, in the community and in the classroom over the past academic year. Jessica leaves as the all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball history, while T.J. was an honorable mention All-MIAA selection this past season.
Bud Epps, longtime Kansas City Chiefs trainer, received the Silver Anniversary Award. Bud was a student trainer at Missouri Western for the school’s first football team. Cheer squad member Taylor Kram won the James J. McMillan Award for the graduating senior with the highest cumulative GPA – 3.95. Football players Jack Long and Shane Simpson won the department’s Award of Valor for their heroic act of saving an infant who was locked in a hot car in the summer of 2011. Baseball player Harrison Cobb was recognized as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee’s Volunteer of the Year.
Mitch Holthus, “Voice of the Kansas City Chiefs,” gave the keynote address at the banquet.