Riordan named Barborka Award winner

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson men's basketball senior, Conor Riordan, has been chosen as the 2020 Barborka Award winner for his efforts for the Storm over the last year and his career.

The award was a gift from Dr. Clifford Barborka and is annually awarded to the senior athlete(s) who achieved outstanding accomplishments in scholarship and character, and has excelled in his/her chosen sport during his/her career or senior season. 

The Ankeny, Iowa native capped off his career this winter by moving into eighth on the all-time scoring list with 1,533 career points for Simpson. He averaged a career-best 20.1 points per game to finish third in the American Rivers Conference in scoring this year. Riordan was tabbed to the all-conference squad for the third-straight campaign after chipping in 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest.

Riordan also received A-R-C Player of the Week honors twice this year for the only two selections of his career. Along with his conference honors this season, Riordan was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-West District and D3hoops.com All-West Region Second Teams. 

Riordan helped Simpson finish 14-13 for the program's fifth-straight season with at least 13 victories for the first time since 1994-99. The 2019-20 campaign was highlighted by an 86-59 victory over No. 6 Nebraska Wesleyan on Feb. 19 inside Cowles Fieldhouse. The Storm reached the A-R-C Tournament Semifinals for the second-consecutive year and tallied their fifth-straight league tournament appearance.

In the classroom, Riordan boasted a 3.94 grade-point average as a mathematics major to be named Academic All-America twice, including a first team distinction this year. He became the first men's basketball player to be named a Jostens Trophy finalist since 2003 and Simpson's first since 2013. Riordan was also an academic all-conference member the last three seasons.

To view the full list of Barborka Award winners, click here.