Madison Braun is the GPAC Player of the Year and Sierra Mitchell is the GPAC Freshman of the Year to highlight the Mustangs’ All-GPAC women’s basketball selections.

Madison Braun, a 5-8 senior guard from Bellevue, Neb., is the 2017-18 Hauff Mid-America Sports/Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Women’s Basketball Player of the Year to headline the 2017-18 All-GPAC Women’s Basketball First Team as selected by the league’s head coaches.

In addition to Braun, the Mustangs’ Sydney Hupp, a 6-0 sophomore forward from O’Neill, Neb., and Sierra Mitchell, a 5-7 freshman guard from Pleasant Hill, Iowa, are on the All-GPAC Second Team. Mitchell is also the GPAC Freshman of the Year.

Braun, a repeat first-team All-GPAC selection, received All-GPAC honors for the third time in her career. She was a second-team all-league pick as a sophomore. Braun is the fourth women’s basketball player in Morningside history to earn GPAC Player of the Year honors, joining Dani Gass in 2009, Megan Cloud in 2005 and Brittany Carper in 2004.

 Braun is averaging a career-high 20.5 points per game for the highest scoring average in the GPAC. She also leads the conference with 101 steals for a norm of 3.2 thefts per contest. Braun is averaging a career-high 3.9 rebounds per game and is third on the Mustangs with 67 assists for an average of 2.1 per game. Braun has made 220 of 448 field goal attempts for 49.1 percent, 123 of 270 3-point field goal attempts for 45.6 percent and 94 of 109 free throw attempts for 86.2 percent.

Braun is the NAIA Division II national leader with 123 3-point field goals and an average of 3.8 3-point field goals per game. She is seven shy of the Morningside record of 130 3-point field goals in a season set by Kate Lokken in the 2003-04 campaign. Braun has been the Mustangs’ leading scorer in 23 of their 32 games, including 14 of their last 16 contests. Braun has 15 scoring performances of 20 points or more, including a career-high 38 points against Northwestern College on Jan. 24 for the Mustangs’ highest scoring total since Carper scored 38 points against Hastings College in the 2003-04 season.

Braun has made a school-record 375 3-point field goals during her Morningside career and is the fourth leading scorer in school history with 1929 career points.

Hupp is the Mustangs’ third leading scorer and top rebounder with averages of 11.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She has a team-high five double doubles and has the Mustangs’ top individual rebounding performance of the season with a career-high 15-board haul against Northwestern. Hupp leads the Mustangs with 28 blocked shots and field goal percentage with 141 field goals in 259 attempts for 54.4 percent. She has converted 80 of 104 free throw attempts for 76.9 percent.

Mitchell is the Mustangs’ fifth player to receive the GPAC Freshman of the Year Award, joining Lexi Ackerman in 2014, Jessica Tietz in 2013, J.J. Hall in 2007 and Gass in 2006.

Mitchell is the Mustangs’ second leading scorer with an average of 11.9 points per game and ranks among the team leaders with 57 assists and 29 steals. She has made 132 of 344 field goal attempts for 38.4 percent, 79 of 221 3-point field goal attempts for 35.7 percent and 38 of 45 free throw attempts for 84.4 percent.

The Mustangs’ Jordyn Moser, a 5-6 sophomore guard from Harlan, Iowa, was named to the All-GPAC honorable mention list. Moser leads the Mustangs with 104 assists and is second on the team with 39 steals for averages of 3.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game to compliment a 6.3-point scoring average.

Morningside will take a 21-11 record into the NAIA Division II National Tournament on March 7-13 at Sioux City’s Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena. The Mustangs will make their 16th consecutive appearance in the national tournament.

Click here for the complete 2017-18 All-GPAC Women’s Basketball Team.