ST. LOUIS Former Illinois State All-American and NCAA champion Christian Goy was selected as one of six inductees in the 21st Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame class, MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin announced Thursday.

Joining Goy in the 21st MVC Hall of Fame class are track/cross country standout Mary Ellen Hill-Schupbach (Bradley), longtime administrators Bill Rowe (Missouri State) and Lois Patton (Evansville), softball Olympian Dani Tyler of Drake and Southern Illinois basketball star Darren Brooks, the only player in league history to win both the Larry Bird Trophy and Defensive Player of the Year honor twice.

Goy is the 12th ISU representative in the MVC Hall of Fame. Others are Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw (1998), Doug Collins (1998), Cathy Boswell (2003), Will Robinson (2003), Jill Hutchison (2008), John Coughlan (2009), Linda Herman (2014), D.A. Weibring (2015), Dave Bergman (2016), Sue Daggett Miller (2016) and Charlotte Lewis (2017).

Christian Goy absolutely deserves this honor to be inducted into the MVC Hall of Fame, Illinois State Director of Athletics Larry Lyons said. He is a multiple-time MVC champion and a NCAA national champion. He is a high character guy and a born leader. He represented Illinois State and the MVC with the highest degree of class and dignity, and continues to do so today.

Goy was the second Redbird at the time to be an NCAA track champion when he claimed the 2002 indoor mile in a school-record time (3:59.43). The Rheinsberg, Germany, native holds the MVC championship indoor mile record of 4:02.10 in 2001.

"I'm speechless and feel like a little child, doing somersaults in my head, Goy said of the honor. One never aspires to be selected into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame. I simply wanted to win championships. I wanted to be the best, to work hard, to persevere, and then to do it all over again.

"When I was done running, I hoped I had raised the bar a bit higher and inspired a few who would follow. Being selected among the greatest means nothing, but it means everything at the same time.

Goy was a three-time All-American, won 12 Missouri Valley Championships in the 800, 1,500, mile, 3,000 and cross country, received three Verizon All-American honors, two Academic Athlete of the Year awards, was the 2002 State Farm Scholar Athlete of the Year and in 2003 received the Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award.

He earned the 2001 and 2002 Milt Weisbecker Illinois State Male Athlete of the Year Award and the Doug Collins Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition. He was the MVCs Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2002, the leagues Most Valuable Track Athlete in 2001-02 and the MVCs Most Outstanding Track Athlete in 2000-01.

Goy currently manages the Behavioral Science Lab (of which he is co-founder) and serves as Vice President on the Gazelle Foundation Board in Austin, Texas.

The induction ceremony will be March 2, 2018 in St. Louis as part of the State Farm Missouri Valley Mens Basketball Championship. There will be an 8 a.m. breakfast followed by the induction ceremony at 8:30 a.m. in the Peobody Opera House adjacent to Scottrade Center. Tickets for the Hall of Fame event can be obtained by calling the league office at (314) 444-4300.

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MVC selects ISU's Goy for Hall of Fame - Bloomington Pantagraph