Valparaiso University women’s basketball senior Dani Franklin (Cedar Rapids, Iowa / George Washington) was recognized for her achievements athletically and academically on Wednesday, as she was named the Missouri Valley Conference Female Scholar Athlete of the Week, presented by Enterprise Bank and Trust Company.

Franklin continued to excel both in the classroom and on the court this week. Her classroom portion is unique, as she is currently student teaching second graders at Heavilin Elementary School in Valpo. Franklin is pulling off the rare balance of student teaching and playing college basketball.

On the court this week, Franklin averaged a double-double of 24.0 ppg and 11.0 rpg, helping Valpo to competitive games against two of the top four teams in the conference. She exploded for a season-high 31 points on Friday, her third career game of 30+ points. That marked the second-highest single game scoring output by a Valley player in conference action this season. She followed with her fourth double-double of the season on Sunday, scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. 

The Valpo women’s basketball program is strong academically, with 11 different players owning GPAs better than 3.0. Franklin and the Crusaders will return to the court on Friday at 6 p.m. CT at Indiana State.