Renae Chesnut, dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, served as a panelist at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Women’s 25th Celebration Brunch on Friday, March 9, at the TaxSlayer Center in Moline, Ill. Chesnut was Drake’s long-time faculty athletics representative.

The brunch featured panels with MVC pioneers and leaders as the league recognized and honored members of the 25th Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team.

The event was part of the MVC Women’s Basketball Tournament that was held March 8-11 at TaxSlayer Center.

Women’s sports were incorporated into the MVC in 1992, having previously competed under the Gateway Collegiate Athletic Conference banner from 1982-1992. The 2017-2018 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 MVC.

Chesnut was one of 12 members of the Leaders and Pioneers Panel moderated by MVC Hall of Famer and former Illinois State women’s basketball head coach Jill Hutchinson. Chesnut was the lone faculty athletics representative on the panel and served in that capacity for 16 years from 2000-2016. In that role, she 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 2004-2005 and 2013-2014.

Dr. Chesnut was 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. Drake 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.

— Mikayla Olson, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences