The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team closed out Missouri Valley Conference awards week with two additional honors on Thursday as a pair of academic and athletic standouts received recognition for their prowess in the classroom and in competition.  

Junior Ben Krikke (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada / Jasper Place) was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, while senior Thomas Kithier (Macomb, Mich. / Clarkston [Michigan State]) achieved MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team laurels.

Krikke, who owns a 3.59 grade point average in finance, ranks tied for ninth in the conference in scoring average at 14.5 points per game in 27 games. He is also seventh in the league in field goal percentage at 53.9 and fifth in free-throw percentage at 84.3. The junior scored in double figures in 21 of his 27 regular-season games including each of the last 11. Entering Arch Madness, Krikke is just 45 points away from reaching the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career.

Krikke is one of only four players in the MVC shooting above 50 percent from the field and above 80 percent from the free-throw line and owns the highest field-goal percentage and second-highest free-throw percentage in that elite group. His rebounding has also been on the rise, as he’s squeezed five boards or more in six straight games and 10 of his last 11. During the final 11 games of the regular season, Krikke averaged 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

This marks the second straight year that Krikke has achieved MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honors. Last season, he was also a member of the MVC Most-Improved Team, All-MVC Third Team and CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. Krikke is active in Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA).

Kithier earned his undergraduate degree from Michigan State in only three years before joining Valpo’s program as a graduate transfer. He has started all 20 games he’s played, averaging 9.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per contest. He ranks among the conference leaders in rebounds per game (6.7, 4^th), field-goal percentage (.557, 4^th), offensive rebounds per game (1.8, 6^th) and defensive rebounds per game (5.0, 5^th). Kithier is heavily involved in Valpo’s athletic department as a student worker in marketing, ticketing and media relations. He will serve as a color analyst for Valpo baseball broadcasts on The Valley on ESPN during the spring season.

Kithier finished his undergraduate degree in advertising with a 3.63 grade point average and currently owns a 4.00 toward his master’s in sports administration.

Krikke was one of only two players in the league to earn MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team status for a second straight season, joining Drake’s Garrett Sturtz. He is the only Valpo player who has earned MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team status since the school joined The Valley. Valpo had two prior MVC Scholar-Athlete Second Team honorees (Derrik Smits 2018-19, John Kiser 2019-20).

The Beacons will open the State Farm MVC Tournament on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. vs. Evansville at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. The game will air on the MVC TV Network and will be available live on ESPN+ with no blackout restrictions in the states of Illinois and Indiana.

2022 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE FIRST TEAM
Student-Athlete, School Yr. GPA Major Hometown (Last School)
Marcus Domask, S. Illinois Jr. 4.00 Sport Administration Waupun (Wis.) Waupun
AJ Green, UNI Jr. 3.67 Movement & Exercise Science Cedar Falls (Iowa) Cedar Falls
Ben Krikke, Valparaiso Jr. 3.59 Finance Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) Jasper Place
Rienk Mast, Bradley So. 3.64 Physics Groningen (Netherlands) Donar Groningen
Roman Penn, Drake Sr. 3.90 Communication (Master of Art) Calumet City (Ill.) Bishop Noll / Siena
Garrett Sturtz, Drake Sr. 3.51 Marketing Newton (Iowa) Newton High

2022 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE SECOND TEAM
Student-Athlete, School Yr. GPA Major Hometown (Last School)
Chris Knight, Loyola Gr. 3.94 Master’s in Business Admin. Madison (Wis.) James Madison Memorial
Thomas Kithier, Valparaiso Gr. 4.00 Master’s in Sports Admin. Macomb (Mich.) Clarkston [Michigan State]
Steven Verplancken Jr., S. Illinois Jr. 3.933 Sport Administration San Pedro (Dom. Rep.) Glenville State
Josiah Strong, Illinois State Sr. 3.62 Recreation and Park Admin. Brooklyn Park (Minn.) Navy / Iowa Western
Kyler Filewich, Southern Illinois So. 3.875 Management Winnipeg (Manitoba) Canada Orangeville Prep
Nate Heise, UNI So. 3.51 Supply Chain Management Lake City (Minn.) Lincoln

2022 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONORABLE MENTIONS
Student-Athlete, School Yr. GPA Major Hometown (Last School)
Ari Boya, Bradley Sr. 3.80 International Studies & French Douala (Cameroon) Scotland Prep
Tate Hall, Loyola Gr. 3.69 Human Resources/Employee Relations Greenfield (Ind.) Greenfield-Central
ShanQuan Hemphill, Drake Sr. 3.33 Communication (Master of Art) Gary (Ind.) Michigan City / Florida SouthWestern
Ville Tahvanainen, Bradley Jr. 3.36 Graphic Design Helsinki (Finland) Helsinki Basketball Academy