Official Site of the Midwest Conference

Chris Braier led Lawrence University basketball to new heights and was named the national player of the year.

The native of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, won the Jostens Trophy as the top player in NCAA Division III, was a three-time All-American and is Lawrence’s career leader in scoring and rebounding. Braier scored 1,565 points and grabbed 1,267 rebounds and is the only player in Midwest Conference history to top 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

Braier averaged 14.9 points and 12.1 rebounds over his career and possessed a superlative all-around game. Relentless around the basket and on the glass, Braier could also step out and knock down a 3-pointer. He posted career highs of 45 points and 24 rebounds in two different games against Grinnell College. An outstanding passer, Braier ranked fourth with 266 assists when he graduated. He remains second on Lawrence’s career list with 180 steals.

Braier was a four-time first-team All-Midwest Conference selection. He played on three Midwest Conference championship teams (2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06), and all three of those teams won the Midwest Conference Tournament. Braier, who played in the NCAA Division III Tournament three straight years (2004-06), was chosen as the Midwest Conference Player of the Year in 2004 and 2006.

The 6-foot-4 forward won the Jostens Trophy in 2006 and picked up National Association of Basketball Coaches first-team and D3hoops.com third-team All-America honors that season. He also earned D3hoops.com third-team All-America honors in 2004 and was a fourth-team pick by D3hoops.com in 2005.

Braier led Lawrence to the nation’s best record at 25-1 record in 2005-06. That squad was the last unbeaten team in the nation and became the first Lawrence team to earn a No. 1 national ranking. Lawrence went 22-0 in the regular season and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Lawrence also broke new ground during the 2003-04 season after the Vikings won the league title and conference tournament. The Vikings won three games in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Elite Eight before losing a one-point game in overtime to the eventual national champions. It is the deepest tournament run in Midwest Conference history.

During Braier’s career, the Vikings posted a record of 87-18, and Lawrence’s 69-12 mark from 2003-06 was the best record for any team in the nation during that three-season stretch.