Valparaiso University women’s golf senior Payton Hodson (Middleton, Wis. / Middleton) was recognized with Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention as the league office announced its scholar-athlete honors on Wednesday.

Hodson, who owns a 3.98 cumulative grade point average with a double major in psychology and Spanish, was also recognized as part of the MVC Scholar-Athlete Spotlight this season. She finished her senior season ranked fifth in program history in career scoring average at 81.96. She ranked second on the team in scoring average this season at 81.15.

Hodson, who has earned dean’s list honors in every semester of college, is a Christ College Scholar (Interdisciplinary Honors College) and earned a 2021-22 “Top of the Class” Award, which is presented annually to Valpo student-athletes who are graduating seniors with a 3.9 or better cumulative grade point average. Hodson garnered Valparaiso University Presidential Academic Honors in May 2020, May 2021 and May 2022 and the 2021-2022 Rudolph C. Waldschmidt Outstanding Student in Psychology Award (November 2021). She also was a “Best Poem in Spanish” finalist (April 2020) and Foreign Languages & Literature Outstanding Freshman Spanish Student (May 2019).

Hodson completed extensive undergraduate interdisciplinary research papers & projects: APA 2022 National Convention, Division 26 (History of Psychology), Poster Presentation: “Viktor Frankl and Karl Jaspers: Parallels and Collisions in Existentialist Psychology” (August 2022), “Psychological and Spiritual Considerations in Interdisciplinary Hospice Care” (2021), “Los recuerdos: las llaves al entendimiento y el mejoramiento” (2021), “Social Media: Disrupting our ability to be a Cosmopolitan, Consequential effects on our mental health and psychological well-being” (2020). She delivered an oral presentation at SOURCE 2021 (Symposium on Undergraduate Research and Creative Expression) and did so again at SOURCE 2022. Two of her Spanish poems were published in Letras. Revista de estudiantes (12) (2020, 2022).

Hodson studied abroad in Costa Rica for six weeks (May - June 2021), serving as a Spanish and psychology intern at Hogar de la Esperanza (Spanish-speaking HIV residents with drug and alcohol addictions and a variety of mental health issues), taking Spanish class at Universidad Veritas and living with a native Costa Rican host family.

The MVC Commissioner’s Academic Excellence Award recipient and MVC Honor Roll member has accepted a position in the 2022 Class of the Orr Fellowship and to work for CREA LLC, which will be for two years in Indianapolis after graduation.

2022 Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete Team

FIRST TEAM

School Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Hannah Bermel, UNI^ Sr. 3.96 Gerontology: Social Services Cedar Falls (Iowa) Cedar Falls Communications Disorders

Abby Cavaiani, Missouri State# Sr. 3.96 Administrative Management Wales (Wis.) Kettle Moraine

Mara Flaherty, Bradley Jr. 3.95 Manufacturing Engineering Naperville (Ill.) North

Kristen Giles, Drake* Sr. 4.00 Pharmacy Georgetown (Ontario) Georgetown

Lauren Green, Indiana State# Jr. 3.90 Exercise Science Merseyside (England) Carmel College

Mallory Russell, Evansville So. 3.83 Nursing Evansville (Ind.) Memorial

Ali Schrock, Illinois State Jr. 4.00 Finance Pontiac (Ill.) Pontiac

Abby Thielbar, Loyola So. 3.95 Neuroscience Zionsville (Ind.) Zionsville Community

Megan Welch, Bradley Sr. 3.66 Mathematics Education Lakeville (Minn.) Lakeville North

Avalon Woodward, Illinois State So. 4.00 Organizational Leadership Palm Desert (Calif.) Palm Desert

Honorable Mention

Yr. GPA Major Hometown

Payton Hodson, Valparaiso Sr. 3.98 Psychology & Spanish Middleton (Wis.) Middleton

Haeri Lee, Drake Sr. 3.49 Secondary Elem. Education Buffalo Grove (Ill.) Buffalo Grove

Lorenza Martinez, Loyola Sr. 3.73 Marketing Menomonee Falls (Wis.)

Divine Savior Holy Angels

Kayla Pfitzner, Missouri State So. 3.68 Marketing Management Ozark (Mo.) Springfield Catholic

^first-team selection in 2019, 2020, and 2021

#first-team selection in 2020 and 2021

*first-team selection in 2021