CHICAGO – The Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) released its 2025-2026 Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete Team on Thursday. 11 Flames were named among the recipients, with junior Molly Kroeger being named the Women's MVC Scholar Athlete of the Year. 
 
"I'm incredibly proud of Molly for being named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year," head coach Ashley Dell said. "Maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA in biomedical engineering while competing at such a high level in the pool is an extraordinary accomplishment and speaks to her discipline, work ethic and commitment to excellence. She represents everything we hope for in a student-athlete, and this recognition is incredibly well deserved."
 
A biomedical engineering major with a 4.0 GPA, Kroeger continues to epitomize the term student-athlete, being impressive both in and out of the pool. This season she has won the MVC Elite 18 Award and earned All-MVC First Team in the 500 freestyle event. Kroeger was also named to the NACDA Allstate Good Works Winter Team, due to her work in the community.
 
Kroeger was joined by 10 of her teammates to be named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team. Georgina Bell, Bruno Carrillo, Ruhee Chetan, Maggie Delaney, William Dvorak, Drew Millette, Kerry-Leigh Morrison, Will Ridley, Patton Shaar and Sophie Stefanac were all recognized for their work in the classroom.
 
To qualify for the MVC's Scholar Athlete Team, an athlete must be a sophomore academically and athletically while meeting one of the following criteria: a 3.5 cumulative GPA and must have competed in four meets OR placed in the top 8 in an individual event at the MVC Championship OR on a top 3 relay team at the MVC Championship.
 
This is the second consecutive year a Flame has won the MVC's Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in Swimming and Diving, with graduate Liam Davis winning the award a season ago.
 
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