Heath Melugin

Classroom

Melugin is majoring in cell and molecular biology and minoring in chemistry and carries a 3.97 cumulative grade point average. In 2010, the Springfield, Mo., native received multiple academic honors including the Missouri Valley Conference State Farm Good Neighbor Award, First-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete Team and Prairie Farms/Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week. In addition to the MVC awards, Melugin collected Second-Team CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-American and First-Team CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VII honors for his success in the classroom and in the Springfield community. In 2009, Melugin was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete and CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VII First Teams for his academic excellence.

Character

Melugin has a tremendous work ethic that is visible both on the pitch and outside of athletics. The senior has flourished in his first three years while juggling an extremely busy schedule. He is a leader by example and it starts with the way he carries himself outside of soccer. Melugin was chosen by his coaches to represent the men’s soccer team on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC), where he is also the leader of the Marketing/Community Involvement subcommittee. During the school year, Melugin spends an average of three hours a week serving as a tutor for the MSU athletes. For the past four years, he has also provided soccer lessons to kids ranging from five to 18 years old. Melugin has served as a great mentor to his peers and others in the community.

Community

In 2010, Melugin received the MVC State Farm Good Neighbor Award, which is given to student-athletes in good academic standing who demonstrate good citizenship through sportsmanship and significant community service. Since arriving at Missouri State University, Melugin has logged nearly 500 hours of volunteer work. He has served as a Living Waters Youth Group counselor, giving young adults a place to have fun and stay out of trouble. During the summer, he has volunteered as a counselor for a week-long summer camp with middle school children. Melugin has taken part in the Just Read Program, which is affiliated with the Missouri Valley Conference and involves visiting elementary schools and reading to kids. He has volunteered at the local soup kitchen in addition to Ozarks Food Harvest where he helped box up food to be sent to people in need. He has helped raise money for the Ozarks Honor Flight and 50 for Haiti and most recently, Melugin traveled to Joplin, Mo., to help clear debris after the devastating tornadoes.

Competition

Throughout his collegiate career, Melugin has played a dominant role at the midfield position. Appearing in 59 matches during his first three seasons at Missouri State, the senior has started in 50 of those contests. Overall, he has recorded 36 points on 16 goals and four assists, while also hitting six game-winning goals. Heading into the 2011 season, the senior’s 36 points and 16 goals rank him first among the returning MSU players. In 2010, Melugin earned his third letter, starting in 17 of the Bears’ 18 matches. He led the team in several categories such as goals, points, shots and shots on goal. For his achievements on the field, Melugin received Second-Team All-MVC, MVC All-Tournament Team and Second-Team NSCAA All-Midwest Region Team honors. During his sophomore campaign in 2009, Melugin earned his second letter after scoring a team-high six goals. His 31 shots taken and 13 shots on goal each ranked second on the team, while starting in 18 of 19 matches played. Melugin’s unassisted goal in the 74th minute of the MVC Tournament Semifinal against Evansville tied the match and sent it into overtime. For his efforts, he was named to the 2009 MVC All-Tournament team. In 2008, Melugin made the most of his first season on campus as he finished tied for second on the team in total points (8) and contributed 15 starts. As a freshman, he found the net three times, including two game-winners. Melugin was honored for his outstanding performance by being named to the MVC All-Freshman team.