ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- For the third consecutive year, the Bradley women's basketball team had at least three individuals earn Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete honors with junior Michelle Young (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) taking home First-Team Valley Scholar-Athlete recognition, senior Kelsey Budd (Prairie du Sac, Wis./Sauk Prairie) garnering a spot on the Second-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete squad and senior Catie O'Leary (Janesville, Wis./Parker/Wisconsin) earning honorable mention distinction according to an announcement by the league office Tuesday.
Bradley's leading scorer at 14.3 points per game, Young was a Second-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete pick last year. She is tied for eighth in the MVC in scoring and is the first Bradley player with a 400-point season before their senior year since Sara Bailey in 2001-02. Young leads the Valley in made free throws with her 130 makes from the charity stripe ranking fourth among Bradley season marks.
The team's top scorer 14 times in 2013-14, Young has scored in double figures a team-high 18 times and her eight 20-point games this year are the most at Bradley since 2001-02. She scored a career-high 32 points in the season-opening win against Illinois to garner MVC Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors and later matched her career-high with 32 points in the league opener. An elementary education major, Young owns a 3.85 cumulative grade point average.
Budd received Second-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete recognition after earning honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete honors each of the last two years. One of three players to rank in the top 20 in scoring in the MVC and the top 10 in the league in both assists and steals, she is fourth in the Valley in assists at 4.2 per game and her 11.5 points-per-game scoring average is second on the squad.
The third player in school history with 900 career points, 325 assists and 300 rebounds, Budd is 19th in career scoring at Bradley and ranks seventh in program history with 336 career assists. She ranks among Bradley's career top 10 in games played, minutes and starts in addition to ranking 19th in career scoring. Budd enters the MVC Tournament needing two points to become the sixth Bradley player to collect 300 points, 100 rebounds, 100 assists and 40 steals in a season. A sports communication major, Budd boasts a 3.80 cumulative grade point average.
O'Leary was an honorable mention Valley Scholar-Athlete for the second time in her career, after she was named a Second-Team MVC Scholar-Athlete in 2012-13 as a junior. Bradley's top rebounder at 7.2 boards per game, she is sixth in the Valley in rebounding and is the only MVC player with 300 points, 200 rebounds and 50 assists. The first Bradley player to reach those numbers in a season since 1994-95, O'Leary is the first individual in school history with back-to-back seasons of 200 points, 200 rebounds and 50 assists.
A nursing major with a 3.56 cumulative grade point average, O'Leary has a team-best six double-doubles this year and is the seventh player in program history with 900 career points, 525 rebounds and 175 assists. She ranks ninth in school history with 258 career made free throws and her 80.1 career free throw percentage is fourth-best in Bradley history. O'Leary is the team's active career leader in both scoring and rebounding.
Bradley is the #9 seed in this week's Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and will play league newcomer Loyola Thursday at 4 p.m. in the opening round at Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo.
