Vanguard trio gains recognition from NAIA

Vanguard University seniors Jessica Richter, Melissa Cook and Lindsey Rinke are among 73 women’s basketball players recognized as scholar-athletes by the NAIA.

A student must maintain a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and they must be at least a junior.

Richter, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, was named NAIA Division I Tournament MVP after helping lead the Lions (29-5) to their first national championship. She was also a three-time, first-team All-American and was named NAIA Player of the Year as a junior.

Cook, a 6-0 guard-forward, was a second-team NAIA All-American who earned second-team all-tournament laurels at the national tournament in Jackson, Tenn.

Rinke, a 5-10 senior forward, came off the bench for most of her career with the Lions. She averaged 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in her final campaign.

— From staff reports