Kitija Laksa Named Senior CLASS Candidate
OVERLAND PARK Kan., Dec. 1, 2018 –USF women's basketball senior guard
Kitija Laksa(Riga, Latvia), was selected as one of 30 candidates to the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for
Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Laksa, a two-time first team all-conference and honorable-mention All-America selection was on four national award watch lists and was a preseason All-America candidate before suffering a season-ending knee injury in USF's third game of the season. She currently stands sixth on USF's all-time scoring list with 1,764 points. Laksa led USF in scoring in each of the last two seasons and was leading the Bulls with 16.3 points per game on the 2018-19 season before her injury. She owns two NCAA records and multiple USF records and was highly regarded for her exemplary character ang high morals.
Laksa, a preseason Wade, Wooden, Naismith and Drysdale Award candidate, competed with her home country of Latvia in the FIBA World Cup in September in Tenerife, Spain, in Latvia's maiden appearance in the championship. She contributed 10.3 points per game to Latvia in three contests against China, Senegal and USA. She matched the likes of A'Ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, Jewell Lloyd and Kelsey Plum in the loss to USA.
She owns a near-perfect GPA and has made contributions in the Tampa community and in her home country of Latvia a priority in her career as a Bull. She was named the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, presented to a student-athlete in the league in each sport who not only competes at a high level, but performs incredibly in the classroom.
Laksa, who is out for the rest of the season with injury, will not be eligible to be a Senior CLASS finalist without resuming play.
The men's and women's candidates will be narrowed to two fields of 10 finalists in February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men's Final Four
®and NCAA Women's Final Four
® this spring. For more information on each of the candidates, visit
seniorCLASSaward.com.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CANDIDATES:
| Kristine Anigwe |
Cal Berkeley |
Megan Huff |
Utah |
| Allison Arens |
South Dakota |
Paris Kea |
North Carolina |
| Sammie Bachrodt |
Drake |
Jessica Kovatch |
Saint Francis |
| Cassidy Barrios |
Nicholls State |
Deanna Kuzmanic |
Alabama |
| Allazia Blockton |
Marquette |
Kitija Laksa |
South Florida |
| Bianca Boggs |
William & Mary |
Kennedy Leonard |
Colorado |
| Kalani Brown |
Baylor |
Teaira McCowan |
Mississippi State |
| KeKe Calloway |
Mercer |
Macy Miller |
South Dakota State |
| Bridget Carleton |
Iowa State |
Teniya Page |
Penn State |
| Napheesa Collier |
Connecticut |
Katie Powell |
UNLV |
| Sophie Cunningham |
Missouri |
Tori Schickel |
Butler |
| Asia Durr |
Louisville |
Alanna Smith |
Stanford |
| Mart'e Grays |
DePaul |
Hallie Thome |
Michigan |
| Megan Gustafson |
Iowa |
Brianna Turner |
Notre Dame |
| Presley Hudson |
Central Michigan |
Courtney Woods |
Northern Illinois |
About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
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