Kier, Murphy Receive MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention

A pair of Valparaiso University women’s golfers earned Honorable Mention status as the Missouri Valley Conference unveiled its Scholar-Athlete team on Thursday. Junior Morgan Kier (Brownsburg, Ind. / Brownsburg) and sophomore Maddison Murphy (Bloomington, Ill. / University) were both recognized for their academic and athletic achievements.

Kier led the team with a 252 (t-34) at the MVC Championship and golfed in 15 rounds over six events. She finished second on the squad in season scoring average at 84.73. The owner of a 3.98 grade point average with a double major in meteorology and Spanish, Kier carded a season-low round of 79 on two occasions, the first and second rounds of the Redbird Invitational on April 9.

A member of the dean’s list and the chapter secretary of Meteorology Honor Society (Chi Epsilon Pi), Kier has received Valpo’s Presidential Honors Award for academic performance. She is also a member of Spanish Honor Society, the Northwest Indiana chapter of the American Meteorological Society, the Valparaiso University Storm Intercept Team (VUSIT) and serves as the Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Pi Beta Phi sorority. Kier participates in Read Lead Achieve to promote childhood literacy, volunteers at St. Theresa’s soup kitchen, Hilltop Neighborhood School and PAWS animal shelter and was featured in the MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight this year.

Murphy, who owns a 4.00 GPA in Health Science, golfed in 14 rounds over six events this year. She posted a season-low 80 on April 10 at the Redbird Invitational. The sophomore owns a perfect GPA all four semesters in an accelerated direct entry degree program (five-year Physician Assistant program), has earned Dean’s list every semester and had her research paper selected and published through a Valpo writing program (core Hall of Fame). A member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Murphy is the at-large chapter representative for academic excellence. In addition, she serves as a consultant/tutor in the Valpo writing center and represents women’s golf on Valpo’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

2021 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete Team

FIRST TEAM, School Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Hannah Bermel, UNI^ Sr. 3.95 Communications Disorders Cedar Falls (Iowa) High

Becca Black, Illinois State# Sr. 3.96 Biology Elizabethtown (Ky.) High

Abby Cavaiani, Missouri State# Jr. 3.99 Business Mgmt./Admin. Wales (Wis.) Kettle Moraine High

Sydney Eaton, UNI^ Sr. 3.68 Biology Mason City (Iowa) High

Kristen Giles, Drake* Jr. 4.00 Pharmacy Georgetown (Ontario) Georgetown

Lauren Green, Indiana State# Jr. 3.87 Sport Management Merseyside (England) Carmel College

Sophia Rohleder, Evansville# Sr. 3.675 Biology Evansville (Ind.) Mater Dei

Emma Sutton, Illinois State Sr. 3.72 Exercise Science Adelaide (South Australia)

 Walford Anglican School for Girls/Towson

Honorable Mention Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Megan Breslin, Southern Illinois So. 4.00 Health Care Management Pinckneyville (Ill.) Community High

Maddie Hawkins, Bradley# Sr. 3.88 Civil Engineering Dubuque (Iowa) Dubuque Senior High

Erica Kerr, Southern Illinois# 5th 3.73 Biological Sciences Peoria (Ill.) Richwoods High

Morgan Kier, Valparaiso Jr. 3.98 Meteorology & Spanish Brownsburg (Ind.) High

Haeri Lee, Drake Jr. 3.44 Secondary Education Buffalo Grove (Ill.) High

Lorenza Martinez, Loyola* Jr. 3.84 Marketing Menomonee Falls (Wis.)

 Divine Savior Holy Angels

Maddison Murphy, Valparaiso So. 4.00 Health Science Bloomington (Ill.) University High

Emma Rouger, Illinois State So. 4.00 Computer Science and Math Orléans (France)

Ali Schrock, Illinois State So. 4.00 Finance Pontiac (Ill.) High

Megan Welch, Bradley* Jr. 3.71 Mathematics Education Lakeville (Minn.) Lakeville North High

^first-team selection in 2019 and in 2020

#first-team selection in 2020

*honorable mention selection in 2020