APPLETON, Wis. -- Lawrence University swept the top honors on the All-Midwest Conference menıs basketball team.
Sophomore standout Chris Braier was named Player of the Year, and John Tharp earned Coach of the Year honors. Chris MacGillis was chosen for the second team, and Rob Nenahlo received honorable mention.
Braier, a forward from Wauwatosa, earned first-team honors for the second consecutive season. The former Wauwatosa East High School standout is averaging 15.2 points per game and 13.2 rebounds per game, which is currently fourth in the nation. Braier leads the team at 1.88 steals per game and is second at 1.92 assists per contest. Braier has posted 16 double-doubles in 25 games, including six in his last seven contests.
Braier becomes the first Viking to earn Player of the Year honors since Adam LaVoy in 2000.
Tharp was named the leagueıs top coach for the second time in his 10 seasons at Lawrence, also picking up the honor in 1997. Tharp coached the team to the second-best record in school history at 21-4, including a 13-3 mark in the Midwest Conference. He won his second league championship and second conference tournament title this season. The Sheboygan native has an overall record of 143-90, which places him third on the schoolıs all-time wins list. He has the best winning percentage (.614) of any Lawrence coach with more than 20 career victories.
MacGillis, a senior forward, earned all-conference honors for the first time in his career. The only true reserve to make the all-conference team, the former Milwaukee Pius standout is Lawrenceıs super sub. He leads the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game, despite averaging only 21.5 minutes per contest. MacGillis, who also averages 4.0 rebounds per contest, is shooting a sparking 53.8 percent from the floor, including 44.3 percent on 3-pointers.
Nenahlo, a senior guard, was given honorable mention for the second consecutive season. The former Appleton East star is averaging 11.5 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 53.3 percent from the floor.
Lawrenceıs season isnıt yet over, as the Vikings will host Lakeland College in a first-round game in the NCAA Division III Championship on Thursday.