George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Banquet Honors Colonials
4/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 26, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington Women's Basketball Team celebrated a successful season with the team's annual Awards Banquet on Wednesday at Charles E. Smith Athletic Center on the GW campus. The Colonials (23-9) advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament and finished the season ranked No. 25 in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
Sophomore Kimberly Beck won the team's Most Valuable Player Award for the 2005-06 season after leading the Colonials in assists with 177 and minutes with 37.7 per game while scoring 11.4 points per game, blocking 22 shots and swiping 64 steals. Beck was previously named Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team, Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team and Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team.
Fellow sophomore Sarah-Jo Lawrence was honored with three awards at the banquet. Lawrence was named this year's recipient of the Abbie Oliver Smith Award, which recognizes athleticism, scholarship and community service. She also was honored with an Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholarship and was named this season's Most Improved Player. Lawrence led GW with 11.6 points per game and was named the Atlantic 10 Sixth Player of the Year. She was also Atlantic 10 All-Conference Honorable Mention and made the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team.
Sole senior Jessica Simmonds won the teams Defensive Player of the Year Award. The team leader in steals with 68 and blocks with 33 was recently invited to a try-out with the Washington Mystics. Earlier this season she was named to the Junkanoo Jam All-Tournament Team and finished the year honored as part of the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team. As the only graduating senior on an otherwise young team, she closed the program with some touching remarks to her teammates.
Junior Kenan Cole won the Academic Excellence Award for an amazing third consecutive time. Fellow Junior Whitney Allen was pleased to learn that she won the Strength & Conditioning Award. Sophomores Lisa Steele and Lora Mitchell won the Courage Award and Unsung Hero Award respectively, while Freshman Jazmine Adair was honored with the Newcomer of the Year Award.
This year's GW women's basketball team won its fifth straight regular-season Atlantic 10 Title going 13-3 in conference. The team made the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in the last 16 years, earning a No. 7 seed. Coach Joe McKeown now has 454 victories in his 20-year career and he has been at the helm of the Colonials for the last 17 seasons at George Washington.
