ST. LOUIS – Indiana State softball had five players voted to the 2023 MVC Scholar-Athlete Teams, announced on Tuesday by the league office. Voting was conducted by league's sports information staff. 
 
Isabella Henning and Olivia Patton were named to the First Team while Lexi Benko, Abi Chipps and Danielle Henning garnered Honorable Mention Team honors
 
The criteria for the Missouri Valley Conference's Scholar-Athlete Team voting parallels the CSC (College Sports Communicators) standards for Academic All-America voting. Student-athletes must meet the following: 3.5 cumulative GPA, at least a sophomore (or higher) in academic and athletic standing (i.e. no freshmen) and participation in 75% of regular season or the MVC Championship (pitchers must participate in at least 10.0 innings).
 
Isabella Henning, a three-time All-MVC selection, ended her junior season hitting .378 with 65 hits which included 12 doubles and 10 home runs. She drove in 37 runs while scoring a team-high 42 runs. Henning also drew a team-best 27 walks. Off the field, Henning is an engineering major with a 3.7325 grade-point average. Henning currently sits tied for third all-time for ISU with 25 career home runs, tied for fifth for doubles with 37, fifth in RBI with 101 and seventh for runs with 97.
 
A Second Team All-MVC choice this season, Olivia Patton ender her graduate season batting .294 with 55 hits including four doubles. She scored 25 hits and stole a team-high nine bases. A Presidents' Council Academic Award Recipient in 2022, she had a 3.84 GPA in elementary education. Patton finishes her ISU career with 217 career games played which ranks second all-time in program history.
 
Lexi Benko ended her senior season with a 15-9 record, posting a 2.44 ERA in 143.1 innings. She recorded six complete games with five shutouts while striking out 100 batters. In the classroom, Benko had a 3.5009 grade-point average in nursing. After four seasons at ISU, Benko ends her career third all-time in starts with 82, fifth in wins with 38, fifth in saves with four and seventh in strikeouts with 272.
 
A back-to-back MVC All-Defensive Team selection, Abi Chipps finished 2023 batting .259 with 29 hits and a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts. Chipps ranks first in the NCAA for being the toughest to strikeout, punching out just once in 112 at-bats this year. An elementary education major, she has a 3.961 GPA and has been named to the MVC Honor Roll and is a prior recipient of the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award.
 
Earning all-conference honors for the first time this season, Danielle Henning finished the season batting .283 with 52 hits including nine doubles, a triple and a home run. She drove in 23 runs while scoring 27 and stole two bases. Henning has a 3.9886 GPA in marketing and has been previously named to the MVC Honor Roll and a recipient of the MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award.
 
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