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GREENSBORO, N.C. – Virginia Tech senior Laura Haskins has been named recipient of the inaugural Kay Yow Award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year and leads the 2008-09 ACC Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team announced today by Commissioner John D. Swofford.

Haskins, the Hokies’ starting point guard and team leader, is currently enrolled in Virginia Tech’s MBA program. She finished her undergraduate work in three years and was ranked first among 129 students in her business management major and seventh out of 942 in Virginia Tech’s Pamplin College of Business. Haskins earned the Paul Hammelmann Award, given to the highest ranking graduating student in the Pamplin College of Business.

A four-time member of the All-ACC Academic Team and a multi-time Dean’s List student, Haskins has also found time to make major contributions on the basketball court. Haskins ranks third in the ACC in assists this season and ranks among Virginia Tech’s top 10 all-time leaders in that category. The Alexandria, Va., native ranks third on her team in rebounds.

Biggs, a junior from Midlothian, Va. majoring in sociology, joins Haskins on the All-ACC Academic Women’s Basketball team. She is third in the ACC in 3-pt. field goals made (2.4) and seventh in 3-pt. field goal percentage (.374). Biggs ranks third on the Virginia Tech career list with 131 treys.

ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be 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.

The Atlantic Coast Conference Faculty Athletics Representatives recently voted unanimously to establish the Kay Yow Scholar-Athlete Award to honor the conference’s top student-athlete among the league’s women’s basketball players.

NC State head coach Kay Yow passed away on Saturday, January 24, 2009, after a long, heroic battle with breast cancer. A native of Gibsonville, N.C., Yow led the U.S. women’s basketball team to a gold medal in 1988, directed her Wolfpack club to the 1998 Final Four and, in 2002, became just the fifth female coach inducted into the James Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. In 34 seasons as head mentor of the Wolfpack women’s program, she compiled an NC State record of 680-325, which left her as one of only three women’s coaches at the Division I level to coach 1,000 games at one institution. Yow’s all-time collegiate record of 737-344 spanned 38 seasons, four with Elon College. She was one of just six coaches to ever compile over 700 victories and began the 2008-09 season as the most tenured coach in the active ranks.

“Kay was a very special lady who truly believed in the student-athlete,” said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. “She was a mentor to so many and whether one of her players, an opposing coach, a friend, an associate or one who observed her grace, dignity, elegance, kindness and competitive spirit from a distance, you couldn’t help but be touched by her presence.”

The league’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Nominees for the Kay Yow Award must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 in each of the last two semesters. The Award is based on 60 percent academic achievement and 40 percent athletic achievement.

Of the 25 ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards presented annually, only three others have been named in honor of an individual. The Jim Tatum award is given in the sport of football, the Skip Prosser award in men’s basketball and the Rod Myers award in men’s golf.

Yow desired strongly to be known for coaching people, rather than basketball, and understood the true meaning of the word student-athlete. Over the course of Yow’s time at State, the Pack placed 47 student-athletes on the annual ACC Honor Roll.

A total of 10 student-athletes from seven schools were named to the ACC Women’s Basketball All-Academic Team. Duke led with three selections, followed by Virginia Tech with two and Boston College, Florida State, North Carolina, NC State and Wake Forest eachj with one.

To be eligible for consideration for the academic squad, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

2008-09 All-ACC Academic Women’s Basketball Team
Name, Class, School Pos. Major
Carolyn Swords So., Boston College C Communications
Bridgette Mitchell, Jr., Duke F/G Sociology
Jasmine Thomas, So., Duke G Sociology
Abby Waner, Sr., Duke G English
Mara Freshour, Sr., Florida State G Sport Management
Rashanda McCants, Sr., North Carolina F/G Communication Studies
Bonae Holston, Fr., NC State F First-Year College
Lindsay Biggs, Jr., Virginia Tech G Sociology
Laura Haskins, Sr., Virginia Tech G Business Administration
Alex Tchangoue, Sr., Wake Forest G Communication

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