ST. LOUIS – Batesville, Ind. native Colt Ryan has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar Athlete of the Year, it was announced on Thursday morning.
 
The junior guard becomes only the second UE player to receive the honor, following in the footsteps of Jason Holsinger, who received the honor in 2009.
 
“I am very proud of Colt, he has done everything that we have asked of him on an off the court since he arrived on campus,” head coach Marty Simmons said.  “He is a well-rounded person who is committed to his game, academics and the community.”
 
Ryan finished in the top 15 in the nation, averaging 20.5 points per game in the regular season.  He upped the ante in conference play, leading everyone with 21.5 PPG.  His top effort was a 43-point outing at Creighton, the second-highest scoring game for an Aces player this season.
 
After notching second-team all-MVC honors as a sophomore last year, Ryan was named to the first team this season.  He also was named MVC Player of the Week on three occasions.
 
His expertise not only comes in the scoring departments as he contributes in every other aspect of the game.  Ryan leads the MVC in steals and has also posted 97 assists while averaging 4.3 rebounds per game.
 
In the classroom, the accounting major has a cumulative grade point average of 3.31.