Jocelyn Willoughby Named the ACC Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia women’s basketball senior guard Jocelyn Willoughby (East Orange, N.J.) has been named the recipient of the 2019-20 Kay Yow Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Willoughby is the first player in program history to win the honor, which has been bestowed annually since 2008. She is the fourth UVA student-athlete to be named the scholar-athlete of the year for their sport this year as Joe Bell (men’s soccer), Jordan Mack (football) and Rachel Robinson (field hockey) have all been recognized by the ACC.
Willoughby was also named to the 2019-20 All-ACC Academic Team, making her Virginia’s first four-time recipient of that honor. Since the team’s inception in 1998, there have only been 12 players who have earned the award four times.
Willoughby, who leads the ACC in scoring (19.5 points per game) and ranks 12th in rebounding (7.5 per game), was named All-ACC First Team in votes by the Blue Ribbon Panel and the league’s head coaches. She is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-District Women’s Basketball Team honoree, the only player in the ACC to earn that honor in each of the last two years. Willoughby earned her undergraduate degree last may in global development studies and is currently enrolled in the leadership and public policy program at the Batten School.
The ACC women’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award is named in memory of the legendary Yow, who won 737 games as a head coach while directing NC State to four ACC Tournament championships and the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team to a gold medal. Yow, who passed away in January of 2009, is also remembered for her leadership and courage in her fight against breast cancer.
ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards are awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters. The award is based 60 percent on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishment.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
2019-20 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team
Marnelle Garraud, Boston College, So., G, Entrepreneurship @
Hannah Hank, Clemson, Fr., F, English
Amari Robinson, Clemson, Fr., Special Education
Kendall Spray, Clemson, Sr., G, Health Science
Miela Goodchild, Duke, So., G, Undecided @
Haley Gorecki, Duke, Gr., G, Master’s Program
Kyra Lambert, Duke, Gr., G, Master’s Program
River Baldwin, Florida State, Fr., F, Finance
Morgan Jones, Florida State, So., G, Sport Management
Kierra Fletcher, Georgia Tech, Jr., G, History, Technology and Society @
Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, Georgia Tech, So., G, Business Administration
Francesca Pan, Georgia Tech, Sr., G, Business Administration %
Dana Evans, Louisville, Jr., G, Sport Administration @
Jazmine Jones, Louisville, Sr., G, Criminal Justice @
Taylor Koenen, North Carolina, Sr., G, Business Administration #
Malu Tshitenge, North Carolina, Fr., F, Business Administration
Kayla Jones, NC State, Jr., F, Sport Management
Marta Sniezek, Notre Dame, Gr., G, Master’s in Nonprofit Administration
Destinee Walker, Notre Dame, Gr., G, Master’s Program @
Aysia Bugg, Pitt, Gr., G, Health Informatics
Dayshanette Harris, Pitt, Fr., G, Undeclared
Gabrielle Cooper, Syracuse, Sr., G, Psychology #
Teisha Hyman, Syracuse, Fr., F, Undecided
Jocelyn Willoughby, Virginia, Sr., G/F, Master’s in Global Development & Public Policy %
Taja Cole, Virginia Tech, Gr., G, Agriculture & Life Sciences, Leadership Studies
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech, Fr., C, Human Nutrition, Foods & Exercise
Dara Mabrey, Virginia Tech, So., G, Multimedia Journalism, Sports Media & Analytics @
Lydia Rivers, Virginia Tech, Gr., F, Agriculture & Life Sciences, Leadership Studies
Aisha Sheppard, Virginia Tech, Jr., G, Multimedia Journalism, Sports Media & Analytics
Christina Morra, Wake Forest, So., F, Psychology
Alex Sharp, Wake Forest, Sr., G, Psychology #
@ Two-time honoree
# Three-time honoree
% Four-time honoree