WSU notes: Bessard earns academic honor; Shockers prepare for NCAA meet

Wichita State’s Rangie Bessard earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team for women’s basketball.

Bessard, a junior forward, carries a 3.30 grade-point average in biological science. She averages 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds.

WSU (14-15) is the fifth seed in the MVC Tournament. The Shockers play fourth-seeded Southern Illinois (16-13) at 2:30 p.m. Friday in the MVC Tournament in Moline, Ill.

Three Shockers qualify for NCAA indoor — WSU’s Nikki Larch-Miller and Breanne Borman will compete in the pentathlon in the NCAA championships beginning Friday in College Station, Texas.

Hunter Veith qualified in the hepthathlon and long jump.

Wichita State coach Steve Rainbolt was named Midwest Region Women’s Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Shockers won the Missouri Valley Conference indoor championship last week by 62 points, second-largest margin in conference history.

Former WSU distance coach Marc Burns, now at Missouri, was named Midwest Region assistant coach of the year.

This story was originally published March 7, 2017 at 10:17 AM with the headline "WSU notes: Bessard earns academic honor; Shockers prepare for NCAA meet."