George Washington University Athletics
Women's Basketball Announces 2007-08 Team Award Winners
4/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
April 21, 2008
2007-08 GW Women's Basketball Highlight Video
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington women's basketball team held its annual Awards Banquet in the City View Room of the Elliott School of International Affairs on E Street Monday night. GW President Steven Knapp greeted student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans at the reception and Colonials' head coach Joe McKeown and a number of presenters handed out nine awards to eight different players.
WBCA and Associated Press honorable mention All-American Kimberly Beck earned her third consecutive Most Valuable Player award, as well as her first Strength & Conditioning award. Beck, who was taken by the Seattle Storm with the 36th overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft, did not attend Monday's event due to prior commitments with the Storm. The 2008 Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Beck is one of four players in program history to earn All-America honors in multiple seasons and is GW's all-time leader with 717 assists.
Senior Sarah-Jo Lawrence, a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine third team Academic All-American, received the team's Academic Excellence award. The Atlantic 10 Student-Athlete of the Year for women's basketball, Lawrence averaged 12.8 points and started all 34 games for the Colonials to earn third team All-Conference honors this season.
The prestigious Abbie Oliver Smith award was presented to senior Lora Mitchell, who had been the team's Unsung Hero recipient the previous two seasons. The award, named in honor of former basketball player and long-time supporter Dr. Abbie O. Smith, recognizes success on the court, in the classroom and in the community. Mitchell, who averaged 0.8 points in 18 games in 2007-08, remained unwaveringly committed to the GW women's basketball program throughout her four seasons. A political science and psychology major, Mitchell spent the last three seasons as a Student-Athlete Advisory Council member for the women's basketball team and participated in DC's Walk NOW Charity Walk for Autism and volunteered at Miriam's Kitchen homeless shelter.
Senior Whitney Allen earned her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year award after garnering Atlantic 10 All-Defensive Team accolades for the second year-in-a-row. Allen, who was second on the team with 58 steals and added single-season career-high's of 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, once again earned the assignment of guarding the opposition's best player this season. Allen guarded leading scorers DeWanna Bonner and Ashley Walker in helping GW defeat Auburn and California to reach the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
The 2008 Senior class of Allen, Beck, Lawrence and Mitchell guided the Colonials to 101 victories, four A-10 regular-season titles, four NCAA Tournaments and a pair of Sweet 16 appearances during their careers.
Junior Jazmine Adair collected the team's Most Improved Player award after averaging a career-best 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds in 32 games played. The first player off the bench for the Colonials, Jazmine was second on the team with 28 blocks and had a double-double against Fordham and scored in double-figures six times this season.
Lone freshman Erica Rivera, who averaged 1.4 points and handed out 20 assists in 32 games, was named Newcomer of the Year.
Junior Jamila Bates, who added 2.0 rebounds in just 8.7 minutes in 32 games off the bench, received the Unsung Hero award. Sophomore Ivy Abiona, who sat out the season while rehabbing a knee injury, received the team's Courage Award.
GW made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 this March, finished with a 27-7 overall record and ranked No. 14 in the final USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Top 25 poll. The No. 14 final ranking is the third highest in school history behind the No. 10 ranking from 1996-97 and last year's No. 11 final ranking. It marks the third straight season the Colonials have finished the season in the coaches' Top 25.
