EVANSVILLE, Ind.—University of Southern Indiana senior All-American Mary Ballinger was named the GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year for women's cross country in a vote by the league's faculty athletic representatives.
Ballinger, a seven-time All-American in cross country and track, is majoring in food and nutrition at USI and has a 3.532 cumulative GPA. It marks the 20th time in school history that a USI student-athlete has earned GLVC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors and the third time for women's cross country.
Previous USI women's cross country runners to garner the accolade includes Heather Cooksey (2004) and Allison Shafer-Krieger (2006).
The 2009 GLVC Runner of the Year, Ballinger earned All-America honors for the third straight season when she finished fifth at the NCAA II Cross Country Championships in November.
Earlier in the season, Ballinger finished second at the NCAA II Midwest Region Championships after finishing first at the GLVC Championships. The first-place finish at the GLVC meet spurred the Screaming Eagles to their second straight conference championship.
In 2009, Ballinger won a total of three races, including the season-opening Stegemoller Classic and the MIAA/GLVC Challenge. She finished in the top five on three other occasions.
A three-time All-Conference and two-time Academic All-Conference performer in cross country, Ballinger became the third female student-athlete in USI history to capture a national championship when she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the NCAA II Outdoor Championships last May.
Prior to winning her first-career national title, Ballinger was named the NCAA II Midwest Region Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association. She also was named the 2008-09 USI/Integra Bank Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
A winner of six GLVC individual titles on the track and cross country course, as well as a GLVC relay title, Ballinger has garnered seven All-League accolades. She also has earned Academic All-GLVC honors twice in track.
Ballinger, along with the rest of the USI track team, is in action this evening at the Indiana University Relays in Bloomington, Indiana.
