Madi Davis leaves Moraine Valley with a resume full of honors and awards for not only her action on the fields in soccer and softball but also for her work in the classroom.
Davis finished her two years at Moraine Valley this spring with an incomplete softball season, but that didn't stop her from working hard. She earned a number of academic honors including the 2019-20 NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete award and Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) All-Academic Athlete of the Year. She was awarded the conference's Dick Durrant Sophomore Academic Athlete of the Year award for holding a 4.0 GPA in the ISCC. Only a small group of students earn this award including one other Cyclone. She also was one of 10 student-athletes selected around the country and Canada named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America College Division Women's At-Large Team.
In addition to her academic achievements, Davis helped the women's soccer team secure a fourth conference and region championship including a trip to nationals in 2018. She also was one of the top catchers in the NJCAA Region IV.
"My parents always told me school comes first, then sports. I think they are a huge factor in me receiving all these student-athlete honors. I definitely would not be where I am today without my parents' help," Davis said. "I am honored to have been nominated and to have won these prestigious awards. I know there are so many athletes out there who are deserving, and I am honored to have been able to compete with them for these awards."
"One word that always comes to mind when I think of Madi the athlete is 'tenacity.' She is the living, breathing embodiment of tenacity. She is fearless, intense and possesses an inner strength and drive that I have rarely seen in such a young person. For softball, if you could build the perfect individual to play catcher, it would turn out to be Madi Davis. She's the best catcher in the region and, for my money, the best at this level in the nation," said Scott Sobol, Moraine Valley softball head coach. "You need a great many words to describe Madi the person: Sweet, compassionate, intelligent and leader come to mind first. But you also need to add diligence, supportive, dedicated and mature. She is as intense a competitor as you will ever find, fierce and fearless, yet also extremely gifted intellectually and is as sweet an individual as you will ever meet. I consider it an incredible honor to have met and worked with Madi, one of the finest people and players I have ever met in my 25-plus years in coaching."
Sports will always be part of her life. Davis heads to the University of Texas at Austin this fall, where she intends to pursue athletic training and physical therapy. Although she will not continue playing varsity-level sports, she'll try her hand at club or intramural soccer. And she'll always keep Moraine Valley in her heart.
"Leaving Moraine Valley feels a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I loved every second of my time here, and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to play two sports at the college level when I thought I was going to be finished with sports after high school. I will forever be a Cyclone," she said. "I will carry these academic awards with me to motivate myself to continue to put in work in the classroom, and I know that working hard will pay off in the end. Both school and sports have been a part of my life since I was very young. Sports have given me so many friends, opportunities and learning experiences over the years, so I want to give back to sports."