IRVING, Texas, JULY 6, 2022 – The American Athletic Conference has named Elena Tsineke (women's basketball) and Luke Gifford (men's golf) as Scholar-Athletes of the Year for their respective sports, the conference announced on Wednesday. It marks the second-straight year that the Bulls have had multiple student-athletes recognized with the honor.
 
Award winners are chosen by the conference faculty athletics representatives (FARs) and receive a $2,000 postgraduate scholarship.
 
Tsineke (Thessaloniki, Greece) continued to prove during the 2021-22 season that she is one of the top guards in the American Athletic Conference and one of the most dangerous shooting guards in the nation. Playing in 32 of South Florida's 33 games with 31 starts, Tsineke was an American Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference selection after averaging 14.3 points per game which was third in The American and shot 38.7 percent (173-for-447) from the field and 83.7 percent (82-for-98) from the free-throw line, good enough for first in the conference. She was also named to the AAC All-Tournament Team after averaging 17.0 points per game in the Bulls' three contests.
 
Tsineke became the 26^th player in program history to surpass the 1,000-point plateau, netting 18 points in the regular-season finale against Houston (March 2). She finished the season with 1,076 points for her career, 19^th on the school's all-time scoring list, and scored in double figures in 27 games for the Green and Gold, including seven outings of 20-or-more points.
 
"We are extremely excited and proud of Elena and this recognition," said South Florida head women's basketball coach, Jose Fernandez. "It's a true testament of her work and dedication on and off the floor."
 
Gifford (Boca Raton, Fla.) finished the 2021-22 season third on the team with a 72.28 stroke average in 36 rounds and second on the team with 10 rounds of par or better, moving his career total to 61 (fourth all-time). He posted three top-25 finishes, including a share of 13^th at the NCAA Palm Beach Gardens Regional (+1, 217) and tied for 18^th at the AAC Tournament (E, 216) which included posting a low round of 69.
 
A 2021 all-conference selection, during the fall campaign Gifford finished second on the team with a 70.83 scoring average in four tournaments and 12 rounds while posting two top 25 and one top 10 finish. He also shot eight rounds of par or better. Gifford posted a low round of 65 at the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational and went on to finish tied for 12^th shooting 209. In addition, Gifford finished with a share of third at the Windon Memorial Classic firing a 207.
 
Gifford earned his degree in integrated public relations and advertising in the spring. His is a four-time AAC All-Academic Team selection and twice named to the Srixon/Cleveland Golf All-America Scholar team.
 
"I am very proud of Luke's accomplishments in the classroom and it is a tremendous honor to be named the top scholar among men's golf student-athletes in the American Athletic Conference," men's golf head coach Steve Bradley said. "Luke has been a big part of our success both on the course and off during his career."
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics currently sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, which will expand to 21 teams with the recently announced additions of women's lacrosse (2023-24) and women's beach volleyball (2024-25). The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and completed its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including seven trophies in the 2021 calendar year, and own 139 conference titles in department history. The Bulls have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for more than seven straight years and have posted a program-record 15 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0 as of the spring of 2022. USF has had over 500 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17. USF has had over 500 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
 
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