Contact: Jenna McElroy, Sports Info & Social Media Intern, mcelroy@midwestconference.org
 
GRINNELL, Iowa – At Saturday’s Knox College men’s basketball game, Prairie Fire Head Athletic Trainer and Assistant Director of Athletics Scott Sunderland was presented with the Midwest Conference (MWC) Meritorious Service Award. The Meritorious Service Award is an honor reserved for those individuals who provide “significant contributions and outstanding service to the MWC and its member institutions.”
 
Sunderland served as the MWC Athletic Trainer Committee Chairperson from 1998-2018. Monmouth College head athletic trainer Bob Foster says of Sunderland, “Scott has been a great resource for the Conference, and has brought many ideas that have positively affected our student-athletes. He’s an individual that puts others before himself, and serves with honor and distinction. Scott is a person who deserves this award without question.”
 
Serving as an effective chairperson requires organization, leadership and the trust of your fellow committee members. According to committee member Sylla Lowther of Grinnell College, “As Chair of the Athletic Training Committee, [Sunderland] brought thoughtfulness and commitment and was always prepared. He has been a resource that we could all rely on.”
 
An individual is eligible for the Meritorious Service Award if they have had at least ten years of Conference service and is currently working for a member institution of the MWC or the Conference office. Administrators and athletic department representatives can be nominated by the Conference office or by member institutions and are approved by the Joint Council upon recommendation of the Awards and Recognition Committee.