ST. LOUIS – Sean Stone of men's soccer and Julia Whorton of women's cross country were named Spartan Athletes of the Month for October after successful individual and team performances.
Stone, the senior goalkeeper from London, England, was pivotal in the men's soccer team's clinching of their first postseason berth as members of the Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Across the month of October, the squad went 6-2-1, including an upset victory over the No. 13 ranked team at the time, Benedictine College. In their most recent outing against Baker, which was arguably the most important game of the season, Stone and the Spartan defense shut the Wildcats out en route to a victory. The win gave Missouri Baptist the necessary three conference points to tie with Clarke in the Heart standings. Tiebreakers fell in favor of MBU for the higher finish and the tournament appearance.
Stone has had a career year in 2026, and the month of October might have seen his best play of all. The keeper allowed just seven goals across nine games, and average of .78 per contest. He saved 24 total shots with a save percentage sat of .774. Beyond that, Stone and the Spartan defense shut out four opponents, making it easy for the team to pick up conference wins.
Stone and the men's soccer team are set to face the #1 seed William Penn Statesmen tonight at 7 p.m. for a chance to continue their season.
Whorton, the junior from Gravette, Arkansas, has been the premiere runner for the women's cross country team. She was the top performer in all three of Missouri Baptist's competitions in October, boosting the squad to 8th of 22 at the Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival, 11th of 21 at the Bradley Pink Classic, and 18th of 20 at the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge.
At the Chile Pepper XC Festival, Whorton placed 9th individually out of 222 runners. Her 18:31.3 time was a college best for a 5k.
At the Bradley Pink Classic, she ran her way into 29th place of 218 competitors, many of which were from high-division NCAA schools, with a 6k time of 22:34.4.
Whorton's final race in October was the NAIA Great Lakes Challenge in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which featured some of the best runners in the country. She finished 32nd out of 185, again setting her college best in the 5k with a time of 18:28.4.
Whorton's consistency as Missouri Baptist's top performer has helped MBU Women's Cross Country to receive votes for national rankings at different points over the course of the season. The squad is currently preparing for the Heart championship in Baldwin City, Kansas this Saturday.
The Missouri Baptist University Athlete of the Month award recognizes outstanding performances by student-athletes throughout the academic year.
