MOLINE, Ill. – Illinois State's Paige Robinson has been named the 2023 Jackie Stiles MVC Player of the Year presented by Great Southern Bank. Robinson finished second in The Valley in scoring (18.8 ppg), was fifth in three-point field goal percentage (40.1%) and ninth in free throw percentage (79.3%). Robinson becomes just the fourth Redbird player to earn the league's Player of the Year honor, joining Susan Wellman (1988), Pam Tanner (1989) and Kristi Cirone (2007, 2008, 2009). 

In her first season at Illinois State, Robinson is also this year's Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year. The graduate guard, who joined the Redbirds after a storied career at Drury, has made her impact on Illinois State. She is the sixth Illinois State player to win MVC Newcomer of the Year, including the fourth in six seasons under head coach Kristen Gillespie. Robinson sits fifth all-time in active career leaders across all NCAA divisions in scoring, with 2,562 points in her collegiate career.  She becomes only the second player in Valley history to earn Newcomer of the Year honors and the Jackie Stiles Trophy in the same year (Kareema WIlliams of Wichita State in 1992). 

Drake sophomore forward Anna Miller earns this year's Defensive Player of the Year honor.  The sophomore is the second-leading rebounder for the Bulldogs, averaging 6.3 rebounds per game.  She also leads Drake and ranks second in the MVC with 65 blocks, averaging 2.3 blocks per game.  Her 65 rejections currently rank third all-time on Drake's single-season blocks list.  Miller is the second Bulldog to win the league's Defensive Player of the Year, joining Sammie Bachrodt (2018, 2019). 

Drake's Miller also claimed The Valley's Sixth Player of the Year, a distinction that is designed to honor an impact player that has started in 25% or fewer of its conference games. This year, Miller has played 559 minutes with only five starts in 28 games.  She is one of four Drake players to average double-digit points with 10.0 per game so far this season.  Miller is also shooting 56.3% from the field this season. She becomes the third Drake player to win the Sixth Player of the Year award, joining Sara Rhine (2016, 2018) and Maggie Bair (2021).

Missouri State's Jade Masogayo is this year's Freshman of the Year. According to HerHoopStats.com, Jade Masogayo is one of two freshmen in NCAA Division I averaging at least 7.5 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game and 1.4 blocks per game this season. She ranks ninth in program history in single season blocks with 42 blocks on the year. Masogayo averaged 7.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game with a .519 field goal percentage during the regular season. Masogayo becomes the seventh Lady Bear to receive MVC Freshman of the Year honors and the first Lady Bear to take home the award since 2010. 
    
UNI's Maya McDermott claimed The Valley's Most Improved Player Award. McDermott moved into the starting point guard role over the past season after the graduation of Karli Rucker. McDermott has improved her overall game, raising her points average from 5.4 to 14.6 and her assists average from 1.7 to 3.5.  McDermott also leads the league at the free throw line this season, making 91% from the line. 

Illinois State's Kristen Gillespie has been named the league's Coach of the Year for the first time in her career, guiding the Redbirds to their first regular season title since 2009-10. Now in her sixth season, she led her team to its first 20-win season since the 2012-13 academic year.  This campaign, her team has a 23-7 overall record and clinched a share of the Conference’s regular-season title on Saturday, finishing 17-3 in League play.  Gillespie becomes the fifth individual in her school’s history to receive The Valley’s top coaching honor. 
 
All six first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selections are first-time honorees. Four of the six selections are playing their first year in The Valley. The first team features Belmont's Madison Bartley and Destinee Wells, Drake's Maggie Bair, Illinois State's Paige Robinson, Murray State's Katelyn Young and UNI's Grace Boffeli. 

Following the six first-team selections are five members of the second team. This year's second team features Evansville's Abby Feit, Illinois State's DeAnna Wilson, Missouri State's Aniya Thomas, UNI's Maya McDermott and Southern Illinois' Ashley Jones. 

The third team includes Drake's Grace Berg and Katie Dinnebier, UIC's Josie Filer, Illinois State's Mary Crompton and Missouri State's Kennedy Taylor.  

Players from four different schools land spots on the MVC All-Defensive Team. Drake's Anna Miller and Katie Dinnebier, Illinois State's Kate Bullman, Missouri State's Aniya Thomas and Southern Illinois' Quierra Love comprise the all-defensive unit.

Five schools are represented on the MVC All-Freshman Team. Indiana State's Bella Finnegan, Missouri State's Jade Masogayo, UNI's Ryley Goebel, Southern Illinois' Jaidynn Mason and Valparaiso's Ali Saunders appear on the five-player rookie team.

Five schools are represented on the MVC All-Newcomer Team. Belmont's Sydni Harvey, UIC's Josie Filer, Illinois State's Paige Robinson, Missouri State's Aniya Thomas and Kennedy Taylor and Southern Illinois' Ashley Jones appear on the six-player newcomer team.