MTSU women’s basketball celebrate winning Conference USA championship
Middle Tennessee State’s women’s basketball team, including senior Savannah Wheeler (4) celebrate winning the Conference USA tournament title.
Middle Tennessee State women’s basketball star Savannah Wheeler has been named Conference USA Michael L. Slive Female Athlete of the Year for 2023-24.
Liberty football star Kaidon Salter was named the Male Athlete of the Year.
Wheeler, a fifth-year point guard, was named the 2023-24 Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and CUSA Tournament MVP. She was a three-time first-team All-CUSA member and was named a first-team Mid-Major All-American by World Exposure Report.
The Catlettsburg, Kentucky, native led the Lady Raiders to a CUSA championship and a Round of 32 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. MTSU upset Louisville in the first round and led LSU for much of a second-round contest before the Tigers pulled away late.
Wheeler led CUSA in scoring (18.7), assists per game (5.7) and minutes per game (38.6) during conference play. She became the all-time conference leader in free throws made (656-of-773) and ended her career ranked third on the all-time scoring list (2,361).
Wheeler is the third Lady Raider basketball star to be tabbed CUSA Female Athlete of the Year, joining Anastasia Hayes (2021) and Ebony Rowe (2014).
Salter guided the No. 23-ranked Flames to a CUSA title and a Fiesta Bowl appearance in their first season as a member of the league. He was responsible for 44 touchdowns, completing 177 of 290 passes for 2,876 yards and 32 passing touchdowns to just six interceptions and 1,089 yards rushing on 163 carries with 12 scores on the ground.
This marked the 21st season that CUSA honored Male and Female Athletes of the Year, and the seventh that the awards have been named in remembrance of CUSA’s founding commissioner Mike Slive following his death. The winners are determined by a vote of the conference’s athletics directors.