ST. LOUIS, Mo. - For the second-straight year, Drake's Katie Dinnebier has earned the Jackie Stiles Trophy, presented by Great Southern Bank, and is this year's Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year.
Dinnebier is the eighth player in Drake program history to take home The Valley's top postseason honor. It marks the sixth time in league history that an individual has won the award in back-to-back years and the first time since current Bulldog assistant coach Becca Hittner collected the honor for three-straight years from 2018-20. Dinnebier leads the league in scoring (22.7 ppg) and assists (7.5 apg) and is the only player in the country averaging at least 20.0 points and 7.0 assists per game this season. She was recently named a finalist for the 2025 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award, presented by Her Hoop Stats.
Bradley's Soleil Barnes has been named the MVC Newcomer of the Year. With this recognition, Barnes is the first Bradley Brave to receive the honor since the award's instinction in 1992. Barnes finished in double figures in all but four games this season, including 19 of 20 league contests. She ranks in the top 10 in The Valley in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game.
This year's Freshman of the Year is Evansville's Camryn Runner. Runner is just the fourth player in Evansville program history to earn the distinction, and the first since 2020. She is the only rookie in The Valley inside the top 20 in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game heading into the postseason. Runner ranks sixth in Division I in free throws made (199) and attempted (243). Her performance at the charity stripe marks the sixth-most free throws made and attempted in league history and the most since Jackie Stiles went 267-for-301 during the 2000-01 season.
Missouri State's Lacy Stokes is earning her second-consecutive All-Defensive Team honor and is this year's MVC Defensive Player of the Year. Stokes is the eighth Lady Bear in program history to receive the postseason specialty honor. She finished the regular season with a league-high 79 steals, averaging 2.5 per game.
For the second-straight year, the Sixth Player of the Year hails from Missouri State, as Kaemyn Bekemeier took home this year's honor. Bekemeier averaged 24.7 minutes off the bench and more than doubled her scoring output from a season ago, averaging 11.3 points per contest in 2024-25 while shooting 45.4% from the floor. She finished in double figures in 22 outings this season, including 14 league contests.
This year's Most Improved Player is Murray State's Ava Learn. In just its fifth year, Learn is the first Racer to receive the honor. All five honorees have represented five different institutions. Learn, who was named to the 2024 MVC All-Newcomer Team, is averaging 14.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game this season. She has started all 29 contests for the Racers and has turned in 11 double-doubles.
The 2025 MVC Coach of the Year is Missouri State's Beth Cunningham. With the recognition, Cunningham became the fifth coach in program history to earn the league's coach of the year distinction. Cunningham guided the Lady Bears to their 15th regular-season championship title in program history. Under the direction of Cunningham, the Lady Bears were the first team in The Valley to eclipse 20 wins this season, sitting at a league-best 24 victories heading into the 2025 Credit Union 1 MVC Women's Basketball Tournament. The Lady Bears went a perfect 10-0 at home during the 2024-25 regular season and its 16 Conference victories marked the most since going 16-0 in league play during the 2020-21 campaign.
| First Team |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Kendal Cheesman, Belmont |
Sr. |
F |
Tampa, Fla. |
| Katie Dinnebier |
Sr. |
G |
West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Leah Earnest, Valparaiso |
5th |
G/F |
Stevens Point, Wis. |
| Maya McDermott, UNI |
Sr. |
G |
Johnston, Iowa |
| Lacy Stokes, Missouri State |
Sr. |
G |
Mount Vernon, Mo. |
| Katelyn Young, Murray State |
Gr. |
F |
Oakwood, Ill. |
|
|
|
|
| Second Team |
|
|
|
| Shannon Dowell, Illinois State |
So. |
G |
O'Fallon, Ill. |
| Haven Ford, Murray State |
So. |
G |
Morehead, Ky. |
| Ava Learn, Murray State |
Sr. |
G/F |
Pleasant Valley, N.Y. |
| Anna Miller, Drake |
Sr. |
F |
Rochester, Minn. |
| Halli Poock, Murray State |
So. |
G |
Waterloo, Iowa |
|
|
|
|
| Third Team |
|
|
|
| Jailyn Banks, Belmont |
So. |
G |
Spring Hill, Tenn. |
| Soleil Barnes, Bradley |
Sr. |
G |
Southfield, Mich. |
| Tuti Jones, Belmont |
Gr. |
G |
Troy, Ala. |
| Kayba Laube, UNI |
Sr. |
G |
Marion, Iowa |
| Gift Uchenna, Southern Illinois |
Jr. |
F |
Ebonyi State, Nigeria |
|
|
|
|
| All-Newcomer Team |
|
|
|
| Soleil Barnes, Bradley |
Sr. |
G |
Southfield, Mich. |
| Elyce Knudsen, Illinois State |
Gr. |
G |
Philo, Ill. |
| Sarah Linthacum, Missouri State |
Sr. |
F |
Jefferson City, Mo. |
| Addison Martin, Illinois State |
R-Jr. |
F |
Shreveport, La. |
| Gift Uchenna, Southern Illinois |
Jr. |
F |
Ebonyi State, Nigeria |
|
|
|
|
| All-Freshman Team |
|
|
|
| Lainie Douglas, Missouri State |
Fr. |
F |
Overland Park, Kan. |
| Elise Jaeger, UNI |
Fr. |
F |
West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Ellie McDermid, Bradley |
Fr. |
F |
Green Bay, Wis. |
| Camryn Runner, Evansville |
Fr. |
G |
Cicero, Ind. |
| Doneelah Washington, Illinois St. |
Fr. |
F |
Lincoln, Neb. |
|
|
|
|
| All-Defensive Team |
|
|
|
| Katie Dinnebier, Drake |
Sr. |
G |
West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Ryley Goebel, UNI |
Jr. |
F |
Urbana, Iowa |
| Tuti Jones, Belmont |
Gr. |
G |
Troy, Ala. |
| Anna Miller, Drake |
Sr. |
F |
Rochester, Minn. |
| Lacy Stokes, Missouri State |
Sr. |
G |
Mount Vernon, Mo. |