A stellar season by Valparaiso University men’s basketball freshman Cooper Schwieger (Overland Park, Kan. / Blue Valley Southwest [Link Year]) received well-earned recognition on Wednesday night as the Valpo rookie was presented with the league’s Freshman of the Year Award, as announced at the MVC Awards Banquet in St. Louis.

Schwieger, also a member of the all-freshman team, becomes just the fourth Valpo freshman to win a league’s Freshman or Newcomer of the Year Award, joining Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92) and the first to do so in a quarter of a century. The high honor only furthered one of the greatest freshman seasons in the program’s storied history. This marks the fifth time in the last six seasons that Valpo has boasted at least one all-freshman team honoree.

Schwieger finished the regular season averaging 13.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per contest. He finished with a league-only scoring average of 14.6 and rebounding average of 5.7. The Kansas native is just the fourth MVC freshman since 1992-93 to average 13.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, joining three other MVC Freshmen of the Year – Southern Illinois’ Marcus Domask (2019-20), Creighton’s Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Tulsa’s Shea Seals (1993-94).

Schwieger is one of eight freshmen nationally averaging 13 points and five rebounds per game and is one of four averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds in league play. He is the only freshman in the country shooting 50 percent from the floor, 80 percent from the free-throw line and scoring in double figures in conference play. He is one of five total MVC players shooting 50 percent from the field, 80 percent from the free-throw line and averaging double figures in scoring in league play, joining Robbie Avila (Indiana State), Cade Tyson (Belmont), Malevy Leons (Bradley) and Ja’Kobi Gillespie (Belmont).

Schwieger led all MVC rookies in overall scoring average, overall rebounding average, league-only scoring average and league-only rebounding average. A five-time MVC Freshman of the Week, Schwieger had career highs in each of his final two regular-season games, including 28 on Sunday vs. Illinois State, the highest single-game scoring output by a Valpo freshman since Alec Peters in March 2014.

Valpo will open Arch Madness – the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis – on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. against fifth-seeded Belmont. The game will air on the MVC TV Network including NBC Sports Chicago Plus and ESPN+.

2024 All-Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Team

First Team                                  Yr.   Pos.  Ht.      Hometown

Robbie Avila, Indiana State     So.      C    6-10     Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest High

Darnell Brodie, Drake             Gr.      F    6-10     Newark (N.J.) Newark East Side/Seton Hall

Duke Deen, Bradley                Sr.      G    170      Shreveport (La.) Bossier High/Troy

Tucker DeVries, Drake            Jr.     G/F   6-7       Waukee (Iowa) Waukee High

Xavier Johnson, S. Illinois       Gr.      G     6-1       Germantown (Md.) Episcopal/George Mason

Malevy Leons, Bradley            Gr.      F     6-9       IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam

Second Team

Ryan Conwell, Indiana St.       So.     G     6-4       Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida

Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont      So.     G     6-1       Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High

Jayson Kent, Indiana State       Jr.     G/F   6-8       Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley

Isaiah Swope, Indiana St.       Jr.      G    5-10     Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana

Cade Tyson, Belmont             So.    G/F   6-7       Monroe (N.C.) Carmel Christian High

Third Team

Malik Dia, Belmont                 So.      F     6-9       Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt

Connor Hickman, Bradley        Jr.      G     6-3       Bloomington (Ind.) Bloomington South High

Nate Heise, UNI                      Jr.      G     6-5       Lake City (Minn.) Lincoln High

Julian Larry, Indiana St.           Jr.      G     6-3       Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.

Alston Mason, Missouri St.     Jr.      G     6-2       Phoenix (Ariz.) Blue Valley NW High/Oklahoma

All-Newcomer Team

Ryan Conwell, Indiana St.       So.     G     6-4       Indianapolis (Ind.) Pike HS/South Florida

Malik Dia, Belmont                 So.      F     6-9       Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Ensworth HS/Vanderbilt

Myles Foster, Illinois State     Sr.      F     6-7       Brooklyn (N.Y.) Brooks School/Monmouth

Ben Humrichous, Evansville    Sr.    G/F   6-9       Tipton (Ind.) Tipton HS/Huntington Univ.

Isaiah Swope, Indiana St.       Jr.      G    5-10     Newburgh (Ind.) Castle HS/Southern Indiana

All-Freshman Team

Almar Atlason, Bradley                      F     6-8       Reykjabik (Iceland) Sunrise Christian Acad.

Chuck Bailey III, Evansville                G     6-5       Detroit (Mich.) Hamtramck High

Cooper Schwieger, Valpo                   F     6-9       Overland Park (Kan.) Blue Valley Southwest

Johnny Kinziger, Illinois St.                G    5-11     De Pere (Wis.) De Pere High

Kevin Overton, Drake                        G     6-5       Oklahoma City (Okla.) Midwest City

All-Defensive Team

Ja'Kobi Gillespie, Belmont       So.     G     6-1       Greeneville (Tenn.) Greeneville High

Jayson Kent, Indiana State       Jr.     G/F   6-8       Oak Forest (Ill.) Oak Forest HS/Bradley

Julian Larry, Indiana St.           Jr.      G     6-3       Frisco (Texas) iSchool Entrepreneurial Acad.

Malevy Leons, Bradley            Gr.      F     6-9       IJmuiden (Netherlands) Apollo Amsterdam

Toby Okani, UIC                       Sr.      G     6-8       Orange (N.J.) Cushing Academy/Duquesne

Major Awards

Cooper Schwieger, Valparaiso, Freshman of the Year

Ryan Conwell, Indiana State, Newcomer of the Year

Xavier Bledson, Indiana State, Sixth Man of the Year

Malevy Leons, Bradley, Defensive Player of the Year

MVC Freshmen of the Year – All-Time

1986 Bart Friedrick, Drake

1987 Joe Griffin, Wichita State

1988 Eddie Bird, Indiana State

1989 Tony Harvey, Southern Illinois

1990 Ashraf Amaya, Southern Illinois

1991 James Hamilton, Bradley

1992 Marcus Timmons, S. Illinois

1993 Deon Jackson, Bradley

1994 Shea Seals, Tulsa

1995 Dan Muller, Illinois State

1996 Rodney Buford, Creighton

1997 Jason Perez, Wichita State

1998 Ryan Sears, Creighton

1999 Victor Williams, Illinois State

2000 Kent Williams, Southern Illinois

2001 Luke McDonald, Drake

2002 Randy Burns, Wichita State

2003 David Moss, Indiana State

2004 Blake Ahearn, Missouri State

2005 Eric Coleman, UNI

2006 Bryan Mullins, Southern Illinois

2007 Osiris Eldridge, Illinois State

2008 P’Allen Stinnett, Creighton

2009 Kevin Dillard, Southern Illinois

2010 Colt Ryan, Evansville

2011 Doug McDermott, Creighton

2012 Seth Tuttle, UNI

2013 Marcus Marshall, Missouri State

2014 Milton Doyle, Loyola

2015 Brenton Scott, Indiana State

2016 Markis McDuffie, Wichita State

2017 Landry Shamet, Wichita State

2018 Cameron Krutwig, Loyola

2019 AJ Green, UNI

2020 Marcus Domask, S. Illinois

2021 Bowen Born, UNI

2022 Tucker DeVries, Drake

2023 Cade Tyson, Belmont

2024 Cooper Schwieger, Valpo