MOUNT VERNON – Cornell volleyball all-American Ella Becker has been selected as the 2025-26 Midwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Year for Women's Sports, as announced Friday by the MWC office.
 
Becker moves forward to be considered for the Division III Commissioners Association (DIIICA) Athlete of the Year award. The DIIICA will announce its regional selections on Aug. 21, followed by the national winners on Sept. 2.
 
The MWC Athlete of the Year is presented annually to one graduating student-athlete representing women's sports for their exceptional athletics, academics, leadership and community service achievements.
 
Becker is Cornell's fifth female recipient of the award at the conference level, joining Allison Eikenberry (volleyball, 2020-21), Carley Robison (softball, 2019-20), Jillian Schulte (volleyball, 2018-19) and Libby Schnoor (volleyball/track & field, 2017-18).
 
Becker graduated with a double major in psychological sciences and kinesiology, carrying a 4.0 cumulative grade point average. In March, she became Cornell's first-ever female student-athlete to receive the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.
 
The Ankeny native was presented with Cornell's prestigious Russell W. Landis Award in May. She's a two-time recipient of the MWC Elite 20 Award for volleyball and was named Cornell's 2025 Paul Maaske Scholar-Athlete. Becker has been inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa and Chi Alpha Sigma honor societies.
 
Becker is a four-time academic all-MWC performer and three-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection.
 
Becker displayed her athletic prowess on the volleyball court as a four-year starting libero for coach Jeff Meeker's Rams, who won four consecutive MWC regular season and tournament titles while appearing in the NCAA Tournament all four years during her time on the Hilltop. Becker guided Cornell to 83 career match wins and a perfect 40-0 mark against MWC competition.
 
As a senior, Becker was tabbed 2025 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American, First Team All-Region IX and First Team All-MWC. She also earned first team all-MWC honors in 2024 and was a second team pick in 2023.
 
Becker stands No. 3 on Cornell's career list with 2,026 digs, the 15th-highest total in MWC history. Her 96.6 serving percentage ranks No. 2 all-time at Cornell.