Even after leaving a legacy as one of the most accomplished athletes in NCAA history, Maya Moore ’11 (CLAS) continues to raise the bar for student-athletes.
Moore, now a member of the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA, became the first University Division women’s basketball player in the 24-year history of the award to repeat as Academic All-America of the Year. The award is presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Moore was selected from a field of 12 scholar-athletes with an average G.P.A. of 3.89. She earned her bachelor’s degree in an individualized major, sports media and promotion, while leading the Huskies to two NCAA championships as a four-time WBCA All-American first team selection with a collegiate career record of 150-4.
The number one pick in the WNBA draft, during her first season in the WNBA Moore is averaging 13.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while leading Minnesota to a 13-4 record and first place in the Western Conference. She recently was selected to play in the 2011 WNBA All-Star game.
“This historical award brings a special satisfaction to my collegiate career,” says Moore. “Academics are not always praised as much as our athletic skills, which is why this award is memorable. Knowing that there are so many deserving and hard-working student-athletes all over the country, I am elated to be recognized for my work. I am truly thankful to all the people who have poured into my academic life.”
Moore is the third Husky to receive CoSIDA’s top student-athlete award, joining Emeka Okafor ’04 (BUS) and Rebecca Lobo ’95 (CLAS).
Moore was nationally recognized for her classroom achievements several times during her career. For the past two years, she was named Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year and CoSIDA’s Academic All-American of the Year, and in 2011 received the NCAA Elite 88 Award for the highest GPA of all students competing in the Final Four.
“Maya is competitive and that’s the word I should use,” says women’s head basketball coach Geno Auriemma. “I don’t know that it comes real easy for her. She’s got to work at it. So to be that competitive and work so hard that’s she’s recognized as the best student-athlete in the country, that’s a testament to her work and her mindset. Very few people that I’ve ever met have that.”
Bruce Cohen, director of UConn’s Counseling Program for Intercollegiate Athletics and academic advisor for the women’s basketball team, says, “Maya has an incredible healthy and sincere intellectual curiosity about all things. She doesn’t look at things on the surface level. She’s interested in what’s behind things. I don’t think there are too many people like her that come along.”
