DALLAS, APRIL 2, 2017 – University of South Florida standout sophomore Kitija Laksa has rewritten the USF record books and on Saturday night, she added another title to an already impressive resume: All-America Honorable Mention. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced its' 10-member All-America team and the Wade Trophy winner at a press conference Saturday night in Dallas.
A native of Riga, Latvia, Laksa becomes the fourth player in program history to receive All-America Honorable Mention and joins Courtney Williams ('16) as the only sophomores in program history to receive the honor. Williams became the Bulls' first All-American last season, landing on the WBCA 10-memner All-America team.
Laksa was one of five American Athletic Conference players to be nominated for WBCA All-America and Temple's Feyonda Fitzgerald joins her as an Honorable Mention. UConn's Napheesa Collier, Katie Lou Samuelson and Gabby Williams landed on the All-America team.
Washington University senior Kelsey Plum headlined the team and was 2017 Wade Trophy winner. The prestigious Wade Trophy, regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball," is presented annually to the NCAA Division I Player of the Year by the WBCA.
Kalani Brown (Baylor), Kelsey Mitchell (Ohio State), Chantel Osahor (Washington), Alexis Peterson (Syracuse), Brianna Turner (Notre Dame) and A'ja Wilson (South Carolina) rounded out the WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America team.
Laksa has distinguished herself as one of the best offensive players in the country this season. Her lengthy list of honors includes becoming the second player in program history to be a unanimous All-Conference First Team selection which mirrors that of a four-year veteran.
On the season, Laksa averaged a team-best 19.2 points per game, shooting .403 from the field, with 3.1 three-point field goals per game. Laksa has scored 20-plus points 13 times this season, while scoring in double digits in 31 of the Bulls' 33 games. The sharp-shooter collected six 30-plus outings, bringing her career total to eight, which is second in the USF record books. Laksa set the new sophomore season points record with 634 points, surpassing Williams, who set the previous scoring record with 586 points. Laksa finished the season with 998 points in her career, just two points shy of becoming the 23rd member of USF's 1,000-point club.
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USF has notched its fifth consecutive 20-win season. The Bulls tallied its 20th win in their 24th contest of the season which tied the fastest any program has reached 20 wins. This is the eighth 20-win season in program history and head coach Jose Fernandez has been at the helm for all eight 20-win seasons. The 2014-15 team reached 20 wins in 24 games, and still currently holds the best record for most wins in a season (27).
USF has made 13 postseason tournament appearances and had five NCAA Tournament berths in Head Coach Jose Fernandez's 17 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to eight 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
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