KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its postseason awards and All-MIAA teams for the 2023-24 women’s basketball season.
 
Fort Hays State’s Katie Wagner was named the MIAA Player of the Year, Missouri Western’s Connie Clarke was named the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Missouri Southern’s Ryan Franklin was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year, and Missouri Western’s Head Coach Candi Whitaker was named the MIAA Coach of the Year.
 
Katie Wagner, a 5-11 senior guard from Maize, Kan., helped Fort Hays State to tie for the runner-up finish in the 2023-24 league standings. Starting all 28 games for the Tigers, Wagner averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking in the league’s top five in each category.  Wagner was one of the MIAA’s top shooters this season, ranking seventh in field goal percentage (44.7) and fifth in three-throw percentage (81.1). She also ranked second in the league in minutes per game (34.3) and steals per game (2.3).
 
Connie Clarke, a 5-10 senior forward from Birmingham, Ala., has been voted the Association’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Clarke helped lead Missouri Western to the top defense and offense in the MIAA. Starting all 28 games for the Griffons, Clarke led the regular season champions with 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. A defensive specialist, Clarke’s 72 total steals and 2.6 assists per game led the MIAA while her 211 total rebounds ranked seventh.
 
Clarke and Griffon Head Coach Candi Whitaker clinched the first MIAA regular season title since 2016 and the first for fifth-year Whitaker. Ending the season on a 14-game win streak, Missouri Western finished 19-3 in league standings and 24-4 overall. The Griffons led the MIAA in scoring (75.9 points per game) and scoring defense (56.0 points per game), holding opponents to a league-low 34.7 field goal percentage and 26.3 three-point percentage. Missouri Western also led the league with 16.82 assists per game and 11.07 steals per game.  This is Whitaker’s first MIAA Coach of the Year honor. 
 
Ryan Franklin was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year. A 6-3 center from Edmond, Okla., Franklin played in all 28 of the Lions games this season. She led Southern with 163 total rebounds and 5.8 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game. Franklin’s 52.7 field goal percentage ranked second in the MIAA while her 39 total blocks ranked fourth. 
 
Below is a list of the 36 MIAA women’s basketball players who earned All-MIAA honors for the 2023-24 regular season. The awards are voted on by head coaches, who cannot vote for their own players.
 
The top ten teams from the 2023-24 season will travel to Kansas City for the 2024 MIAA Basketball Championship, presented by Southern Bank. The women’s tournament tips off at noon on Wednesday, March 6 in Kansas City’s historic Municipal Auditorium. To view the tournament schedule or purchase tickets, visit TheMIAA.com/MIAAmadness.
 
  MIAA POSTSEASON AWARDS  
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Katie Wagner, Fort Hays State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Connie Clarke, Missouri Western
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Ryan Franklin, Missouri Southern
COACH OF THE YEAR: Candi Whitaker, Missouri Western
 
 MIAA ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM 
Connie Clarke – Missouri Western, Sr. 
Aubree Dewey – Washburn, Sr.
Karenna Gerber – Pittsburg State, Jr.
Jayna Green – Northwest Missouri, Sr. 
Katie Wagner – Fort Hays State, Sr.
 
 ALL-MIAA FIRST TEAM  
Connie Clarke – Missouri Western, Sr. 
Karenna Gerber – Pittsburg State, Jr. 
Brooke Littrell – Central Missouri, R-Jr.
Grace Pyle – Pittsburg State, Jr. 
Katie Wagner – Fort Hays State, Sr.
 
 ALL-MIAA SECOND TEAM 
Brionna Budgetts – Missouri Western, Sr. 
Molly Hartnett – Northwest Missouri, Jr. 
Kryslyn Jones – Missouri Southern, Sr. 
Shiloh McCool – Nebraska Kearney, Sr. 
Olivia Nelson – Central Missouri, R-Jr. 
 
 ALL-MIAA THIRD TEAM 
Ashlyn Alloway – Lincoln, So. 
Aubree Dewey – Washburn, Sr.
Caely Kesten – Northwest Missouri, Jr. 
Olivia Hollenbeck – Fort Hays State, Sr. 
Faith Paramore – Emporia State, Sr. 
 
 ALL-MIAA HONORABLE MENTION 
Aliyah Llanusa – Central Oklahoma, Sr. 
Ryan Franklin – Missouri Southern, Fr. 
Kaitlin Hunnicutt – Missouri Southern, Jr. 
Brandi Hudson – Missouri Southern, Sr. 
Jill Aschoff – Nebraska Kearney, So. 
Courtney Lee – Northeastern State, Jr. 
Halie Jones – Northeastern State, Sr. 
Harper Schreiner – Pittsburg State, So. 
Alayzha Knapp – Rogers State, Sr. 
Yiibari Nwidadah – Washburn, So.