ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Sophomore runner Cassie Lohmeier (East Peoria, Ill./East Peoria) has been named a Missouri Valley Conference scholar-athlete according to an announcement by the league office Tuesday.  Lohmeier is the first Bradley cross country runner to earn the distinction since Katie Nowak in 2007.

A health science major with a 3.86 cumulative grade point average, Lohmeier finished 14th at Sunday's State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship in Terre Haute, Ind., helping the Bradley women's cross country team to a third-place finish. 

Scholar-Athlete honors require individuals finish among the first 20 runners at the conference championship, hold at least a cumulative 3.2 GPA and be a sophomore in athletic and academic standing to earn a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team.

Lohmeier is the first Bradley individual to earn Valley Scholar-Athlete recognition since Katie Nowak in 2007 and just the third Brave to earn Valley Scholar-Athlete honors since the start of the 2004 season.

The Bradley men's and women's cross country teams return to action Saturday, Nov. 12 at the NCAA Region V Championship in DeKalb, Ill.