GREENWOOD, Ind. – Missouri State women's basketball placed four student-athletes on this year's College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Women's Basketball teams, the organization announced today.
 
Kiley Bess, Kyrah Daniels, Sarah Linthacum and Kaemyn Bekemeier represent the Lady Bears on the list this season.
 
Bess owns a 4.00 graduate GPA and is pursuing a master's degree in Sports Management. She was also recently named to the Missouri Valley Conference scholar-athlete second team, the second MVC academic honor of her career. The fifth-year senior started every game for the Lady Bears this season and averaged 5.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Bess also added 77 assists, 41 steals and shot .407 (66-162) from the field.
 
Daniels is majoring in Exercise & Movement Science and owns a 4.00 GPA as a sophomore. She was also named to the MVC scholar-athlete second team, marking the first MVC academic recognition of her career. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native was MoState's second-leading scorer on the season with 12.0 points per game. Daniels also added 5.1 rebounds per game and she led the team with 66 three-pointers and 32 blocks.
 
Linthacum owns a 3.79 GPA and is majoring in Elementary Education. The senior's previous academic achievements include being named to the First-Year SEC All-Academic Honor Roll in 2021-22 while at Missouri. The Jefferson City, Mo., native played in all but one game this season and averaged 11.1 points and a team-leading 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting .539 (171-317) from the field. Linthacum was named to the MVC All-Newcomer Team and was named MVC Newcomer of the Week twice during the season.
 
Finally, Bekemeier is majoring in Early Childhood Education and owns a 3.58 GPA. She has previously been named to the Missouri State Athletic Director's Honor Roll in the first three semesters of her career. The sophomore was named the MVC Sixth Player of the Year after playing in all 35 games for the Lady Bears and averaging 11.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game off the bench. Bekemeier also shot .464 from the field, .405 from three-point range and .780 from the free throw line.
 
The 2024-25 Academic All-District® Men's and Women's Basketball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
Missouri State finished the 2024-25 season as MVC regular-season co-champions after going 26-9 overall and 16-4 in league play. MoState's 26 wins this season are tied for the fourth-most victories in a single season and are the most wins for the program since 2020.