KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced its male and female finalists for the 2025-26 Ken B. Jones Award, presented by
Summit Pointe Financial Group.
The Ken B. Jones Award recognizes the Association's top female student-athlete and top male student-athlete from the most recent academic year. Named after former MIAA Commissioner Ken B. Jones, the 2025-26 academic year marks the 33rd year of the award.
Each MIAA institution may nominate one male and one female student-athlete for the annual Ken B. Jones Award. The nominees must have completed at least their junior season of athletic eligibility by June 1 of the academic year and have at least a 3.25 cumulative grade-point average through the previous full semester term at the certifying member institution. The Ken B. Jones selection committee ranks their top five male and female selections using the following weighted system: 50 percent for the year's athletics accomplishments, 30 percent for the student's career academic accomplishments, and 20 percent for the year's campus/community service.
Male finalists for the 2025-26 Ken B. Jones Award:
- Landon Boss – Emporia State University, Football
- Crew Howard – University of Nebraska Kearney, Wrestling
- Gabe Johnson – University of Central Oklahoma, Wrestling
- Cooper Scheck – Fort Hays State University, Golf
- Dylan Sprecker – Pittsburg State University, Cross Country/Track & Field
Female finalists for the 2025-26 Ken B. Jones Award:
- Rylee Lemos – University of Central Oklahoma, Softball
- Emily (Diercks) McCullough – Fort Hays State University, Cross Country/Track & Field
- Peyton Neff – University of Nebraska Kearney, Volleyball
- Isabelle Peters – Pittsburg State University, Track & Field
- Mia Rallo – University of Central Missouri, Golf
All 10 finalists will be recognized at the 2026 MIAA Awards Celebration, hosted Monday, June 1, at the Nelson-Atkins Museum Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. The 2025-26 male and female Ken B. Jones Award winners also will be announced on stage at the Awards Celebration.
The MIAA Awards Celebration is open to the public. Individuals interested in attending the event on June 1 can RSVP
here. The conference office will be accepting RSVPs until Wednesday, May 27.
Isabelle Peters – Pittsburg State Track & Field Student-Athlete
Isabelle Peters was crowned an NCAA Division II national champion and an MIAA individual champion in the 2025-26 indoor track & field season. The senior from Lindsborg, Kan., won the women's pole vault event at both the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championship and the 2026 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championship. Her top pole vault mark of the season — 4.42 meters / 14'6" — ranks No. 3 on the all-time NCAA Division II Performance List and is the second-best mark in Pitt State history. She became a two-time All-MIAA performer this season with a second-place finish in the women's pole vault competition at the 2026 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championship; and will she compete in the pole vault competition at the 2026 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted May 21-23 in Emporia, Kan.
Off the track, Peters graduated Cum Laude with her bachelor's degree in physical education in December of 2025 and is currently pursuing her master's degree in educational leadership with a 4.0 GPA. The one-time Academic All-American also has worked as a graduate teaching assistant for the university and earned the program's 2025 Graduate Teaching Award. Peters also is the Vice President of the university's Health, Human Performance and Recreation Club.
Peters also has over 100 hours volunteering as a track and field official for high school and junior college meets. She also volunteered 40 hours and has raised $2000 in scholarship funds over the past two years working a local car show fundraiser.
Dylan Sprecker – Pittsburg State Cross Country/Track & Field Student-Athlete
Dylan Sprecker is a decorated distance runner on the Gorillas' cross country and track and field teams. In the 2025-26 season alone, he was named a six-time All-MIAA performer, a four-time MIAA individual champion, a two-time NCAA Division II indoor national champion, a two-time All-American, and has set two Pitt State program records. Sprecker opened the 2025-26 academic year with a sixth-place finish in the 2025 MIAA Cross Country Championship and a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Regional Cross Country Championship. He then collected three MIAA titles at the league's 2026 Indoor Track & Field Championships, where he was also named the MIAA's Indoor High Point Scorer with 22.5 individual points scored in the championship. He went on to win two national titles at the 2026 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships, winning the men's mile and helping the Gorillas' distance medley relay team win the national title. Sprecker claimed his fourth MIAA title of the year at the league's 2026 Outdoor Championships, winning the 1500 meters and finishing as the runner-up of the 5000 meters. His outdoor season continues into the 2026 NAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships, scheduled for May 21-23 in Emporia, Kan. Sprecker is set to compete in the 1500 meters for a chance to claim another All-America accolade.
Academically, Sprecker is a senior exercise science major with a 3.88 GPA. He has been honored as a second-team Academic All-American by the Collee Sports Communicators (CSC), a five-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete, and a five-time All-Academic selection by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
In his free time, Sprecker volunteers his time coaching a local track club, Salina Burn. He also volunteers at local high school track meets and is a TRiffc Event volunteer, where he provides therapeutic recreational therapy for individuals with disabilities.
