April 30, 2014
MVC Release
CHICAGO - Mary Whitmore (Rocky River, Ohio. / Magnificat), a senior on the Loyola University Chicago women's track & field team, has been named as one of 10 spring sport recipients of the Missouri Valley Conference's Leadership & Service Award, as was announced by the league office this afternoon. She is one of two women's track & field athletes to be recognized by the league.
Whitmore put together an impressive indoor campaign during the 2013-14 season, highlighted by the GVSU Big Meet in which she was a member of the women's distance medley relay team that shattered the school record with a time of 11:43.87. The senior also posted a personal-best time in the 800m (2:11.88) at the GVSU Big Meet.
The Rocky River, Ohio product has continued her success in the 2014 outdoor season, opening up her campaign with a title in the women's 4x400m relay (4:04.58) at the Bulldog Opener. Whitmore then traveled to a pair of prestigious meets on the west coast and did not disappoint, posting a seventh-place finish (4:35.97) in the 1,500m at the Stanford Invitational and following it up with a 71st place finish (2:13.77) in the 800m and 73rd place finish (4:34.78) in the 1,500m at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Off the track, Whitmore is a standout both inside and outside the classroom. Amassing a 3.22 GPA while majoring in Biology, she has been a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) member for the past four years, and as a current member of the SAAC executive board, she is currently coordinating SAAC efforts to work with Relay for Life. Among her many other extracurricular activities, Whitmore maintains membership in Chicago's local UNICEF chapter, and she also serves as a Christmas on Campus volunteer. In September, the senior spearheaded a shoe and toothbrush drive to support and raise awareness for Global Brigades, a Loyola student organization dedicated to global health and sustainable development in underdeveloped countries. Last January, Whitmore traveled to Honduras with Global Brigades to work on a specialized dental team.
The MVC Leadership & Service Award (formerly the Good Neighbor Award) is awarded to student-athletes in good academic standing who demonstrate good citizenship through good sportsmanship and significant community service. The Valley recognizes 10 student-athletes three times annually for a total of 30 honorees.
Whitmore and the Ramblers are back in action this weekend at Illinois State's Redbird Invitational in Normal, Ill. on May 3.
