Valparaiso University women’s basketball senior Meredith Hamlet (McBain, Mich. / McBain) was recognized for her well-roundedness as one of two student-athletes featured in this week’s Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Spotlight presented by Enterprise Bank and Trust Company.

A 2017-18 MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention recipient, Hamlet has thrived on the court, in the classroom and in the community during her time on Valpo’s campus. She reached a significant milestone this past week, scoring the 1,000^th point of her collegiate career in a 78-76 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Nov. 17. Hamlet became the 15^th member of Valpo’s 1,000 point club.

The Valpo senior also ranks seventh in program history in made 3-pointers with 158. She averaged 11.6 points per game last season and sits at 12.8 points per game through the first five games of 2018-19. Hamlet started her career as a member of the Horizon League all-freshman team in 2015-16 after setting the school record for made 3s by a freshman with 69. She has had a 29-point performance in each of her first three seasons.

In the community, Hamlet has spent time volunteering with elementary school students and writes letters back and forth with them to encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle. She also helped assemble over 1,000 informational packages for runners and spectators for the Chicago Marathon and helped out with the greater Valpo community by volunteering and organizing supervision of the Valparaiso Popcorn Fest 5K run.

Hamlet serves as the co-President of Valpo’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSAA) on campus. She traveled to Ethiopia this past summer as part of Athletes in Action on a 10-day trip that sends a team of collegiate women’s basketball players from across the country to compete and train alongside Ethiopian university and professional teams. Athletes in Action is a faith-based group and the goal of the trip was to teach people about the glory of God. The players did missionary work, played against the Ethiopian national team, visited schools, attended church and shared their testimony during the 10-day stay in Africa.

In the classroom, Hamlet is a public relations major with minors in sports management and professional writing. She owns a 3.53 grade point average. Hamlet comes from a Valpo family, as both of her older sisters played women’s basketball at Valpo and both are now married to former Valpo student-athletes.

To qualify for the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, student-athletes must carry a cumulative grade-point average of 3.20, completed at least one academic year at a Valley institution and must be at least a sophomore in academic standing.

Hamlet and her teammates will return to the court on Monday, Nov. 26 to take on Toledo at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center.