PROVIDENCE, R.I. –   Commissioner Mike Aresco has announced that USF guard Kitija Laksa has been chosen as the 2017-18 American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The selection was made by The American’s Faculty Athletic Representatives (FARs) and is presented on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance.
 
Laksa, a junior from Riga, Latvia, will receive a $2,000 scholarship, which may be applied to graduate or professional studies.
 
Laksa has led the 20/19-ranked Bulls to a 24-6 overall record in 2017-18 and a 13-3 mark (second-place finish) in conference play. The 24 wins match the Bulls win total of the last two seasons. The only player in Division I with two 40-point outings this season (40 vs. Southern on Dec. 15 and 41 vs. Ohio State on Feb. 11), she owns a program-best 12 career 30-point outings. Laksa leads the conference in scoring with 20.7 ppg., and is one of 10 players nationally with 100-plus three-point fields. She set an NCAA single-game record against Southern when she connected on 11 consecutive three-pointers. Laksa has scored in double figures in 28 of 30 contests this season and leads the nation in free throw percentage (.963; 103-107).
 
A three-time American player-of-the week honoree, Laksa also has garnered national player-of-the week accolades this season by espnW, USBWA and Women’s Citizen Naismith. She has led her team in scoring in 18 contests, and earlier this season, became the 23^rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. In 92 career outings, she has scored 1,620 points (17.6 pp.g).
 
A Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention honoree in 2016-17, the three-time all-conference honoree and a member of the Conference’s All-Academic Team, Laksa holds a 3.7 grade-point average as a psychology major.
 
The American FARs annually select a Scholar-Athlete of the Year from each of the Conference’s 21-sponsored sports, in addition to men’s and women’s at-large selections.
 
American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2013-14                 Antonita Slaughter, Louisville
2014-15                 Jamie Kaplan, Tulane
2015-16                 Courtney Williams, USF
2016-17                 Leslie Vorpahl, Tulane
2017-18                 Kitija Laksa, USF