Sophie Cunningham

Classroom

Sophie Cunningham’s devotion to her school work will set her up for success once her playing career is over. Cunningham’s major of sport management and minor of communications will help her achieve her goal of being a sports broadcaster. With being from Columbia, Cunningham gets pulled in many different directions on a daily basis, but she has always been able to keep up with her classwork. Being a sport management major, Cunningham is able to bring a wealth of knowledge about sports to the classroom. She is on track to graduate in four years.

Character

Cunningham’s character has been top-notch during her time at the University of Missouri. She plays with aggression on the court, but when she is off the court, she is one of the most humble and down-to-earth people you will meet. Growing up in Columbia, Cunningham is always recognized around town, and she greets everyone she meets with a smile. One who is always under a microscope could let it get to them, but not her. She is always ready to meet a new face and take a picture with a fan who looks up to her. Cunningham grew up dreaming of being a Mizzou student-athlete and is now living out her dream of being a role model for young athletes.

Community

With the limited time Cunningham has, she has not forgotten the community in which she lives and grew up. She has always been involved in the community throughout her career and was named to the 2018 SEC Community Service Team. In the last year she has worked with the Douglas Park Boys & Girls Club clinics, the Red Shoe Race benefitting the Ronald McDonald House, Bowling for Autism, the Show Me State games, the NSAD Special Olympics Buddy program, Voluntary Action Center Christmas Distribution to those in need, various youth basketball clinics at the arena and the annual Hoops for a Cause Boys & Girls Club fundraiser.

Additionally, Cunningham has been passionate about visiting the MU Children’s Hospital in her spare time, working alongside the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Columbia each year and being a part of the National Student-Athlete Day benefiting Special Olympics in the community.

Competition

Above all else, Cunningham is a fierce competitor and will finish her career as one of the best athletes, regardless of sport, in Mizzou history. She earned AP All-America Honorable Mention honors in her sophomore and junior seasons, and All-SEC First Team Honors each of the last two seasons (2016-17, 2017-18), as well as being named the 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year and earning All-SEC Second Team honors in her freshman campaign (2015-16).

Cunningham was Mizzou’s leading scorer for the third consecutive season in her junior campaign, scoring 18.5 points per game while grabbing 4.7 rebounds per game and recording 93 assists, the second-most on the team. She reached double-figure scoring marks in 28 of 31 games and scored 20+ points 13 times during the season. In 2017-18, Cunningham was the only player in the nation to shoot better than 54 percent from the field (54.2 percent, 186 for 343), 45 percent from the three-point line (45.7 percent, 69 for 151) and 83 percent from the free throw line (83.6 percent, 133 for 159). Her three-point percentage ranked fourth in the NCAA.

Cunningham will continue to climb up in the Mizzou record book in her senior season, as she currently ranks No. 8 in all-time scoring (1,563 points), No. 4 in career three-pointers made (153), No. 4 in PPG (16.6), No. 5 in free throws made (386), No. 3 in three-point percentage (.404), No. 3 in free throw percentage (.839) and No. 8 in field goal percentage (.508).

*All stats as of nomination time.