UConn’s Breanna Stewart Named USBWA National Player of the Year

From UConn:

TAMPA, Fla. — University of Connecticut women’s basketball junior standout Breanna Stewart, winner of the 2015 Associated Press Player of the Year and 2015 Wade Trophy, added another honor to her rapidly-growing awards list when she was selected as the winner of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, as announced by the United States Basketball Writers Association on Sunday.

Stewart, who took home the award in the 2013-14 campaign, became the sixth NCAA Division I player to earn the accolade in multiple seasons. In total, Stewart’s selection marks the program’s eighth USBWA National Player of the Year award.

Deb Corum, senior associate director of athletics for the Huskies, accepted the award for Stewart in the Amalie Arena as UConn, the two-time defending NCAA champion, prepared to meet Maryland in one of the national semifinals games on Sunday a 9 p.m. ET

The award, first handed out in 1987-88 by the USBWA, began being named for former UCLA four-time All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale in 2012.

The other two-time winners were former Virginia star Dawn Staley (’91, ’92), who returned to the Women’s Final Four Sunday for the first time since her playing days as the coach of South Carolina, Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw (’98, ’99) and Candace Parker (’07, ’08), UConn’s Maya Moore (’09, ’10), and Baylor’s Brittney Griner (’12, ’13).

In 2014-15, Stewart has averaged 17.6 points per game and was joined by teammates Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis and Moriah Jefferson joined as USBWA All-Americans.

Top seeds UConn and Maryland are set to tip off in the second of two NCAA National Semifinal contests on Sunday night at Amalie Arena at 9 p.m. on ESPN.