Peters and Kraker Earn Scholar-Athlete of the Season Honors

INDIANAPOLIS – After earning player of the year honors in their respective sports, Valparaiso men’s basketball player Alec Peters and Green Bay women’s basketball player Mehryn Kraker have garnered recognition as the Horizon League’s Winter Scholar-Athletes of the Season.

As successful as Alec Peters has been on the floor, the senior has been just as impressive off of it. Peters graduated with a sports management degree in three years and is currently enrolled in the university’s sports administration graduate program. Peters, a native of Washington, Ill., was one of five men’s basketball players in the nation to be named CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American. In addition, the Crusader has been named to the Academic All-League team in each of the last three years and has been a member of the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll in every semester eligible.

It’s no secret the on-court success that Peters has had in his career and in particular, this season. The forward averaged a double-double with 23.0 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game; the only player in the nation to be top-20 in both categories. The 6-9 star won player of the week four times on the year, helping Valparaiso earn a share of the regular season crown for the third conference title in four years. The senior finished his career as the Crusaders’ all-time leading scorer and rebounder with 2,348 points and 997 rebounds. Peters is also a three-time first team all-league member and third all-time in the Horizon League in points scored.

Mehryn Kraker has enjoyed an incredible amount of success during her five years at Green Bay. The native of West Allis, Wisc., has already received a bachelor’s degree in education and is currently continuing her studies in graduate school. Kraker was named to the 2017 women’s basketball Academic All-League team and has been on the Academic Honor Roll for five semesters in her career.

On the basketball floor, Kraker sparked Green Bay to its 19th consecutive regular season championship before leading the Phoenix to the Horizon League tournament title. The forward averaged 17.6 points per game - the first Phoenix player to average more than 15 points since the 2011-12 season. The senior leader has earned plenty of hardware for the season earning Horizon League Player of the Year, First Team All-League, All-Tournament team and espnW’s Mid-Major Player of the Year. Kraker finished her stellar career with 1,671 points and leads the program in career three-point field goals made with 234 triples.

The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes at the conclusion of each of its three athletic seasons. To be eligible for scholar-athlete of the season consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale) and are honored on a combination of athletic and academic achievement.