Mary Ellen Hill-Schupbach Named to MVC Hall of Fame

Women's Track and Field 8/10/2017 10:00:00 AM

The most accomplished female student-athlete in Bradley Athletics history and arguably one of the most accomplished female student-athletes in Missouri Valley Conference history, Mary Ellen Hill-Schupbach has been announced as a member of The Valley's 21st Hall of Fame Class on Thursday.

A 10-time MVC individual champion in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track, Hill-Schupbach also was a two-time track All-American and a seven-time Academic All-America honoree.

The 1998 and 1999 MVC Cross Country individual champion, she helped Bradley to the first women's conference championship in any sport in school history by leading the Braves to the co-title with Drake at the 1998 MVC Championship. On the track, she was also a three-time individual champion in the indoor 3,000m (1998, 1999 and 2000), while collecting the 1998 indoor mile, 1998 indoor 5,000m, 1998 outdoor 3,000m, 1998 outdoor 5,000m and 2000 outdoor 10,000m crowns.

Bradley's first female to earn MVC Hall of Fame accolades, Hill-Schupbach joins fellow 2018 honoree Christian Goy of Illinois State as just the second and third cross country runners – male or female – to enter the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame.

"The Missouri Valley Conference has always been recognized for the great success of its athletics programs, with a rich history that dates back more than a century," said Commissioner Doug Elgin. "Our MVC Hall of Fame has provided us with an opportunity to honor the student-athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors who have played important roles in the Conference and in intercollegiate athletics.

"The individuals we will be honoring in the Class of 2018 are representative of the men and women who have preceded them in our Hall of Fame. They've brought significant honor to themselves, their institutions and to the Conference. We are truly humbled to have this opportunity to salute them for their achievements. In a year in which we are celebrating 25 years of women's athletics in the MVC, we're excited to announce our six-person class, which includes three women who positively impacted women's athletics at their institutions."

Hill-Schupbach set four Valley records during her career, setting the bar in cross country (17:18), the outdoor 3,000m (9:34.81), indoor 3,000m (9:35.61) and outdoor 5,000m (16:08.72). She gained All-America status by finishing ninth in the 5,000m at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championship and fourth in the 5,000m at the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championship.

The three-time pick for MVC Track Athlete of the Meet (1998 and 1999 MVC Indoor Championships and 1998 MVC Outdoor Championship), Hill-Schupbach was the 2000 Illinois NCAA Woman of the Year and she won the inaugural MVC Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award, as well as an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

Originally from Princeville, Illinois, she currently is a school teacher in Normal, Illinois, where she and her husband Schuyler Schupbach are the parents of five adopted children.

The 12th Brave overall to earn MVC Hall of Fame accolades, Hill-Schupbach will be formally inducted on March 2 during the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men's Basketball Championship. Other honorees include Goy, Darren Brooks (Southern Illinois men's basketball) and Dani Tyler (Drake softball), as well as administrators Lois Patton (Evansville) and Bill Rowe (Missouri State).

The March 2 festivities will begin with an 8 a.m. breakfast, followed by the induction ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Tickets to the 2018 Hall of Fame event – scheduled to be held in the Peabody Opera House which is adjacent to Scottrade Center – can be obtained by calling the league office at (314) 444-4300. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

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