Dr. Renae Chesnut, Drake University's long-time faculty athletics representative, will serve as a panelist at the Missouri Valley Conference Women's 25th Celebration Brunch, Friday, March 9, at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill.
The brunch features panels with MVC pioneers and leaders as the league recognizes and honors members of the 25th Anniversary Women's Basketball Team.
The event is part of the MVC Women's Basketball Tournament that will be held March 8-11 at TaxSlayer Center. The March 9 festivities will begin with an 8:30 a.m. breakfast, followed by the program at 9 a.m. Nearly 250 people are slated to attend the event after receiving a special invitation from all 10 Valley institutions.
The Missouri Valley Conference was founded in 1907 and is the nation's second oldest Division I athletics conference. Women's sports were incorporated into the MVC in 1992, having previously competed under the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference banner from 1982-92. The 2017-18 season is a landmark one for the Conference and women's sports, celebrating the 45th anniversary of Title IX and the 25th anniversary of women's sports in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Dr. Chesnut is one of 12 members of the Leaders & Pioneers Panel moderated by MVC Hall of Famer and former Illinois State women's basketball head coach Jill Hutchinson. Dr. Chesnut is the lone faculty athletics representative on the panel and served in that capacity for 16 years from 2000-16. She is currently the dean of Drake's College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences.
In that role, Dr. Chesnut represented Drake student-athletes, coaches and faculty in MVC and NCAA affairs and chaired numerous committees during her tenure. That leadership included serving as the president of the MVC Presidents' Council in 2004-05 and 2013-14.
She joins the panel university leaders as one of the shining examples of women in leadership roles that have helped foster and advocate for the inclusion, development and growth of women's athletics in the MVC during the last quarter century.
"This Reunion is a special opportunity to bring together and thank the many women who contributed to the success of women in the Missouri Valley Conference the past 25 years," said Senior Associate Commissioner Patty Viverito. "We look forward to honoring these administrators, coaches and student-athletes."
Dr. Chesnut will be one of a slew of Drake representatives honored at the brunch as three Bulldogs were named earlier to the MVC Women's Basketball 25-Year Team. The Bulldogs earned three honorees on the 10-woman roster with Carla Bennett (1999-03), Tricia Wakely (1992-96) and Lizzy Wendell (2013-17) being named members of the illustrious squad.
For more information on #MVCWOMEN25 visit www.mvc-sports.com/women25.
