KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association hosted its annual Awards Celebration on Monday evening (June 3) at the Kansas City Music Hall in downtown Kansas City.
 
The 2024 MIAA Awards Celebration recognized the Hall of Fame Class of 2024, the Association’s Ken B. Jones finalists and all other outstanding performances and achievements that occurred in the 2023-24 academic year.
 
The event was once again emceed by Blair Kerkhoff. Kerkhoff has been with the Kansas City Star since 1989, primarily covering college athletics, the Chiefs and the Royals. A published author, Kerkoff is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame and makes regular appearances on Kansas City’s WHB (810 AM) and Channel 41 Sports. He’s also a member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his career in sports writing at the Kansas City Star.
 
The event began with presenting the MIAA SAAC Cup to the 2023-24 winning institution – Nebraska Kearney. First awarded in 2013, the MIAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Cup is an annual competition between MIAA institution SAAC groups. Institutions can accumulate SAAC Cup points by hosting or participating in fundraising events, attending MIAA SAAC and campus SAAC meetings, completing NCAA legislative grids, and participating in community service and engagement groups. MIAA SAAC Chair and National SAAC Representative Kara Amos (Missouri Southern ’24) and Commissioner Mike Racy presented Nebraska Kearney student-athletes with the MIAA SAAC Cup on stage.
 
Next, Pittsburg State was honored with the 2023-24 MIAA Commissioner’s Cup. Commissioner Racy presented the Association’s all-sport trophy to Pitt State Athletic Director Jim Johnson on stage. It’s the third straight year Pitt State has won the Commissioner’s Cup. The Gorillas averaged a league-best 12.88 points per sport while totaling eight MIAA regular season titles throughout the 2023-24 academic year. 
 
The MIAA Commissioner’s Cup is presented by McCownGordon Construction. For more information on the Commissioner’s Cup and to view past winners, visit theMIAA.com/CommissionersCup.
 
The 2023-24 recipients of the Dr. Bob Boerigter Officiating Award of Excellence were also honored on the stage at the MIAA Awards Celebration. The Officiating Award of Excellence recognizes active MIAA officials, in any sport, who have made an outstanding contribution to MIAA officiating. The award was created in 2018 to honor former MIAA Commissioner, Dr. Bob Boerigter. Dr. Bob recognized the importance of officiating at all levels and emphasized the degree of commitment and integrity that today’s officials must exhibit to be successful.
 
The officials who received the honor were Ty Bills (basketball official), Kerri Clock (softball official), Craig Helser (basketball and football official) and Gary Wheeler (softball official). To view the past winners of the Dr. Bob Officiating Award of Excellence, click here.
 
The event continued with Blair Kerkhoff sitting down for one-on-one interviews with the recently inducted MIAA Hall of Fame Class of 2024. To view the recently inducted Hall of Fame Class, click here. To view the entire MIAA Hall of Fame archive, visit theMIAA.com/HOF.
 
Blair then sat down with the 2023-24 Ken B. Jones finalists who were in attendance. Following his Q&A with the student-athletes, the 2023-24 male and female Ken B. Jones Award winners were announced. Presented by Summit Pointe Financial Group, the Ken B. Jones Award recognizes the Association’s top male and female student-athletes from each academic year.
 
Fort Hays State’s Katie Wagner was named the Association’s Ken B. Jones female student-athlete of the year and Pittsburg State’s Mason Strader was named the Ken B. Jones male student-athlete of the year. To view more information on the 2023-24 Ken B. Jones Award winners, click here.
 
Matthew Hicks of MSH Visual was the official photographer of the event. To view the photo gallery from the 2024 MIAA Awards Celebration, click here. 
 
MIAA fans can watch the 2024 MIAA Awards Celebration on The MIAA Network, free of charge.