The Valpo women’s basketball program was represented by a pair of players as the Missouri Valley Conference unveiled its 2023-24 Scholar-Athlete Teams Tuesday afternoon. Fifth-year Olivia Brown (East Grand Rapids, Mich./East Grand Rapids [St. Bonaventure]) was a Second Team Scholar-Athlete selection, while senior Leah Earnest (Stevens Point, Wis./SPASH) was a Third Team Scholar-Athlete choice.

Brown finished the regular season second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.5 points/game, and surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for her collegiate career this year. She ranked fifth in the MVC in 3-point percentage and eighth in 3-pointers/game, and is second all-time at Valpo in career 3-point percentage.

In the classroom, Brown graduated from Valpo last spring with a bachelor’s degree in communication and is currently working towards her MBA with a GPA of 3.925. This is the second consecutive year Brown has earned a spot on the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, as she was a First Team choice last year, when she also was selected as a Third Team Academic All-American.

Earnest has led the Beacons across the board this year, ranking fifth in the MVC in scoring with 16.2 points/game and 10^th in rebounding with 7.1 rebounds/game. She enters Hoops in the Heartland 17^th in program history in career scoring and 12^th in career rebounds. Earnest owns a 3.707 cumulative GPA as an exercise science major with minors in human biology and digital media.