Women's Basketball

MIAC announces 2023-24 women’s basketball awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced its women’s basketball awards for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday.
 
Concordia junior guard Carlee Sieben and Gustavus senior guard Emma Kniefel were voted the MIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, while St. Catherine first-year guard Hattie Fox received MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, and St. Catherine head coach Don Mulhern was celebrated as the MIAC Coach of the Year.
 
Sieben (Grafton, N.D.) was named MIAC Offensive Player of the Year after averaging 14.2 points and 3.3 assists per game against conference opponents. Sieben shot 0.404 (91-for-225) from the floor and ranked second in the conference with a three-point percentage of 0.391 (45-for-115) on the season. She is the seventh Cobber to receive a MIAC Player of the Year (Offensive/Defensive/MVP) award in women's basketball since 1987, and the first to do so since Emily Thesing in 2013.
 
Kniefel (Sr. | Medford, Minn.) was selected MIAC Defensive Player of the Year after recording 79 rebounds and 44 steals in 20 conference games. The MIAC champion Gusties held opponents to a conference-low 49.6 points per game, with Kniefel being assigned as the primary defender against the opposing team’s top offensive player. She is the third Gustie to receive a MIAC Player of the Year (Offensive/Defensive/MVP) award in women’s basketball, joining 2007 Player of the Year Jess Vadnais and 2010 recipient Bri Radtke.
 
Fox (Osceola, Wis.) was named MIAC Rookie of the Year after logging 500 minutes and 249 points against conference opponents in her debut season. Fox averaged 13.1 points per conference game en route to setting a new St. Catherine rookie scoring record with 375 points in overall contests. She is the first Wildcat to be named MIAC Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Year in program history and the second St. Catherine player ever to receive an individual conference postseason award, joining LaShay Holt who earned the since-retired Sixth Player of the Year honor in 2016.
 
Mulhern (Seventh Season) received MIAC Coach of the Year honors after leading the Wildcats to the most successful season in program history, earning a team-record 14 wins in league play to go along with a berth in the MIAC Playoffs. Mulhern is the second St. Catherine head coach to receive MIAC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honors, joining 2007 recipient Gary Rufsvold.
 
In addition to the individual awards, 18 players were named All-Conference and six received honorable mention distinction. All awards were nominated by and voted on by the 11 MIAC head women’s basketball coaches and only statistics from regular season MIAC contests were considered for conference honors; any nominated player not selected as All-Conference but still receiving votes from at least three coaches was named honorable mention.
 
Eleven of the 18 All-Conference selections were also selected in 2023. Hamline forward Lydia Lecher became just the 19th player in recorded MIAC history to earn four straight All-Conference honors in women’s basketball. Gustavus guard Emma Kniefel and Saint Benedict guard Carla Meyer both became three-time All-MIAC selections, landing them among just 69 women’s basketball players in recorded MIAC history to be named to at least three All-Conference teams.
 
The MIAC also announced the annual All-Playoff Team for women’s basketball, which recognized the top nine performers from the conference tournament, as selected by playoff-participant head coaches.