Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Chrysanthos Papachrysanthou Named Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award Recipient
07/15/2002 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
July 15, 2002
St. Louis, Mo. - Chrysanthos Papachrysanthou (pronounced kri-sahn-THOS pah-pah-kri-sahn-THO) of Southern Illinois University and Stacia Beste of Illinois State (pronounced Stacey Best) have been selected as the male and female recipients, respectively, of the Missouri Valley Conference's Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award, Valley Commissioner Doug Elgin announced in June.
The Missouri Valley Conference Faculty Athletics Representatives Committee selected Beste and Papachrysanthou from a field of league student-athletes who met the Dr. Charlotte West Scholar-Athlete Award criteria, including academic achievement, athletics excellence and service and leadership.
Papachrysanthou, a senior from Nicosia, Cyprus, received all-conference swimming honors four times (1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002) for the Salukis. Papachrysanthou, who has a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average in physical education, has earned Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors in 2000, 2001 and 2002. He was also awarded the MVC postgraduate scholarship earlier this summer.
An eight-time Conference individual champion, Papachrysanthou owns the league individual records for the 50-Yard Freestyle (20.14 on Feb. 17, 2001) and 100-Yard Freestyle (44.25 on Feb. 17, 2000). In 2002, he captured the 50-Yard and 100-Yard Freestyle races for the fourth and second times, respectively.
In addition to his individual exploits, Papachrysanthou is a member of Salukis' relay teams that set Missouri Valley Conference records in 200-Yard Freestyle (1:20.56 on Feb. 17, 2000), 400-Yard Freestyle (3:00.83 on Feb. 17, 2000) and 400-Yard Medley (3:19.71 on Feb. 23, 2002).
The top swimmer for the Cyprus National Team, Papachrysanthou competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He was a silver medalist in the 50-Meter Freestyle at the 2001 Mediterranean Games.
Beste, a senior from Shorewood, Wis., capped an outstanding track and field career, by finishing eighth in the 10,000-meter run at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Championship to earn All-America honors.
A 12-time all-conference choice, Beste, who has a 3.90 cumulative grade-point average in psychology, captured six individual league titles -- outdoor 5,000-meter run (2000, 2001, 2002), outdoor 10,000-meter run (2001, 2002), indoor 3,000-meter run (2001), indoor 5,000-meter run (2001) and cross country (2001).
During her final season at Illinois State, Beste won the league cross country title in 2001 and finished 41st at the NCAA Cross Country Championship, received all-conference honors in the 3,000- and 5,000-meter races at the 2002 Conference indoor track and field championship, and captured the 5,000- and 10,000-meter run titles at the 2002 league outdoor meet and claimed the Most Outstanding Female Track Athlete award.
A member of the Dean's List every semester at Illinois State, Beste received Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors for cross country twice (1999 and 2001) and three times for track and field (2000, 2001 and 2002).
She was selected for the Verizon/Academic All-America team twice (2000 and 2001) and the U.S. Cross Country Coaches Association Academic All-America team (1999). In 2001, Beste also received the Bone Scholar Award, the highest academic award for an Illinois State University student.
The first-ever recipient of the Honda Award of Merit in 1996 for outstanding achievement in women's collegiate athletics, Dr. Charlotte West was a driving force for more than 40 years in the area of advancement of women's sports.
On June 30, 1998, she retired from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, after serving in the capacities of head coach, associate athletics director, interim athletics director and senior woman administrator during her 41 years with the Missouri Valley Conference-member institution. West coached five women's sports from 1957-75 and, in 1982, was among the first group of women inducted into the SIUC Athletics Hall of Fame.
During her tenure at SIUC, she became the first female member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and later served on the organization's board of directors. West was also a president of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). In 1991, she was presented with the Administrator of the Year Award by the National Association of Collegiate Women Administrators. West also received the Administrator of the Year Award, given by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association.
