Valparaiso University women’s soccer senior Rita Craven (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way North) has been honored as the Horizon League co-Scholar Athlete of the Season for the completed fall season of sports, the league office announced Tuesday.
Craven, who shared the honor with Cleveland State volleyball player Grace Kauth, earned the award for her work both in the classroom over her tenure at Valpo and on the field this fall. Craven, a biology major, was named a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-American this season after earning a spot on the NSCAA First Team Scholar All-American squad last year. A two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree and a two-time Academic All-League recipient, Craven enters her final semester at Valpo with a 3.94 cumulative GPA.
On the field in 2015, Craven concluded a standout four-year career. She closed her career with a second consecutive First Team All-League honor as a senior, tying for the team lead in assists and ranking second on the team in goals (6) and points (15). An NSCAA Third Team All-Great Lakes Region honoree in 2015 after earning Third Team All-America accolades the previous year, Craven finished her career ninth in program history in goals, tied for fourth in assists and eighth in points. Nine of her 14 career goals were of the match-winning variety, second-most in Crusader history.