ST. PETER, Minn. –Women’s basketball player Mikayla Miller (Jr., Goodhue, Minn.) and men’s basketball player Riley Sharbono (So., Marshall, Minn.) have been selected as the Gustavus Adolphus College December Female and Male Student-Athletes-of-the-Month, presented by Thrivent Financial and voted on by the Gustavus Sports Information Department.
Mikayla Miller
Women’s Basketball
Hometown: Goodhue, Minn.
High School: Goodhue
Major: Education
Parents: Dave and Joy Miller of Goodhue, Minn.
Miller earns her second consecutive Student-Athlete-of-the-Month honor after another impressive month on the hardwood. In the month of December, the Gustavus women’s basketball team owned a 5-0 record, while Miller led the Gusties to an 11-0 start to the season – the second best start in program history. Miller led Gustavus in scoring in three of five games, accumulating 102 points and averaging 20.2 per game. In each game, Miller recorded double-digit points including three 20-point performances. She also totaled 22 assists and 14 steals while shooting 33-67 (49.3%) from the field, 14-31 (45.2%) from beyond the arc, and 22-25 (88%) from the free throw line.
Sitting at 980 points in her career prior to the Dec. 7 matchup vs. St. Olaf, Miller just needed 20 to reach the 1,000-point mark. She shot 7-of-16 from the field, 5-of-10 from three-point range and was perfect from the free throw line to lead Gustavus with 25 points, becoming the 11th all-time Gustavus women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 points and also becoming the fastest to reach the milestone.
In the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Miller ranks first with an average of 4.3 steals per game and is also tied for the leading scoring average with 18.5 per game.
Riley Sharbono
Men’s Basketball
Hometown: Marshall, Minn.
High School: Marshall
Major: Business Public Accounting
Parents: Randy and Cindy Sharbono of Marshall, Minn.
Sharbono started in all six games in December, registering double-digit points in all but one game, totaling 82 points for an average of 13.7 per game. Sharbono led the Gusties in scoring in three straight games, including a career-high 22 points vs. North Central (Dec. 13). He then tallied 13 vs. UW-Eau Claire (Dec. 28) and 16 vs. Ramapo (Dec. 29) at the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. For his performances, Sharbono was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Throughout the month, Sharbono shot 26-for-60 (43.3%) from the field, 10-for-26 (28.5%) from three-point range, and 20-for-25 (80%) from the free throw line. The sophomore wing leads Gustavus in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game. He also provides a spark from beyond the arc, leading the Gusties with a three-point field goal percentage of 46.7 (21-45), which ranks within the top five in the MIAC.