ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the 12th time in the last 16 weeks, a member of the Drake University women's basketball team has been named a Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Week, presented by Eagle Bank & Trust Company. Redshirt sophomore Sara Rhine (Eldon, Mo.) is the latest Bulldog to earn the honor, her league-leading sixth of the season.
 
Last week, Rhine was nearly perfect for Drake with 22 points on 10-of-11 shooting against Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. She added 10 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Rhine had the best individual field goal percentage of all-time in a Drake NCAA tournament game (90.9 percent), topping Carla Bennett's previous top mark of 81.8 percent set in 2002. Bennett was also the last Bulldog to record a double-double in an NCAA game in 2001.
 
Rhine, an elementary education with a 4.00 cumulative grade point average, had an outstanding 2017-18 season. She averaged 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting an MVC-best 59.1 percent from the floor. Rhine was named the 2018 MVC Women's Basketball, Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the MVC Sixth Player of the Year along with being selected to the All-MVC First Team. She also earned the MVC Elite 17 award, which is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest-grade point average competing in an MVC championship.
 
This most recent MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Week honor is the 22nd this season by a Drake student-athlete, the most of any Valley program.
 
2017-18 Drake Missouri Valley Scholar-Athletes of the Week
Sept. 6 - Josh Yeager - Men's Cross Country
Sept. 13 - Kyle Brandt - Men's Cross Country
Oct. 4 - Kyla Inderski - Volleyball
Nov. 28 - Reed Timmer, Men's Basketball
Nov. 28 - Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball
Dec. 6 - Reed Timmer, Men's Basketball
Dec. 6 - Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball
Dec. 13 - Becca Hittner, Women's Basketball
Jan. 3 - Becca Hittner, Women's Basketball
Jan. 3 – Nick McGlynn, Men's Basketball
Jan. 10 – Becca Hittner, Women's Basketball
Jan. 10 – Reed Timmer, Men's Basketball
Jan. 17 – Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball
Jan. 17 – Nick McGlynn, Men's Basketball
Jan. 31 – Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball
Feb. 7 – Reed Timmer, Men's Basketball
Feb. 7 – Maddy Dean, Women's Basketball
Feb. 14 – Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball
March 1 - Reed Timmer, Women's Basketball
March 7 - Becca Hittner, Women's Basketball
March 14 – Maddy Dean, Women's Basketball
March 21 – Sara Rhine, Women's Basketball