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GRINNELL, Iowa – Illinois College senior Ally Kjellander was named the 2016-17 Ruth Peterson Award winner, while Knox College senior Jeremy Rainey-Brown was named the Roy W. LeClere Award winner.  The Peterson and LeClere Awards are presented to the Midwest Conference (MWC) female and male student-athletes who posted the highest grade point averages during their junior years. 

Previous Winners

Ruth Peterson is the former Commissioner of the Midwest Athletic Conference for Women, who went on to serve as the Co-Commissioner of the MWC.  Peterson, a Beloit College alum and employee, passed away in October of 2006.  Roy W. LeClere was a collegiate sports enthusiast whose passion for the MWC led friends and co-workers to originally sponsor the award as a memorial in his honor.  Dykstra is the fourth Red Hawk to earn the Peterson Award, while Livingston is the fourth Green Knight to win the LeClere Award. 

Kjellander, a women’s soccer player, is a three-time Academic All-MWC selection and a Boise, Idaho native.  The senior is majoring in psychology and communication and rhetorical studies.  This season, Kjellander had five goals and four assists for the Lady Blues and was second on the team with 14 points.  Four of her five goals were game-winners.  Illinois College finished the 2016 season with an 8-9-1 overall record and was 5-4 in MWC action. 

Rainey-Brown, a Chicago, Ill. native, is also a three-time Academic All-MWC pick and is majoring in economics.  At last season’s MWC Indoor Track & Field Championship, Rainey-Brown finished 14^th in the 800-meter run (2:06.63), was the third leg of the Prairie Fire’s second place Sprint Medley relay team, and ran on Knox’s fourth place Distance Medley relay squad.