Hamson garners All-America citation

PROVO, Utah—BYU senior center Jennifer Hamson has been named AP All-America Honorable Mention.

The award is Hamson’s first while competing on the women’s basketball team. She has received three All-America citations in women’s volleyball.

In her senior season, the 6-foot-7 center, was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, making it the first time in league history that the top two awards went to the same student-athlete.

Hamson led the team in points (17.7), in rebounds (11.5) and in blocked shots (4.2) while having the team’s best field goal percentage, .566 (224-396).

This year she helped guide the Cougar women to their best season in program history with a 28-7 record, a second appearance in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Championships and a second place finish in the WCC with a 14-4 mark.

Entering the Cougar’s Sweet 16 game vs. No. 1 Connecticut, she led the nation in blocked shots with a 4.2 average, ranked 11th in double-doubles, 14th in rebounds per game and 15th in field goal percentage.

In BYU history, she ranks third all-time in rebounds with 965, second all-time in blocked shots with 340 and ninth all time in points with 1,437. During her stellar basketball career she recorded 32 double-doubles and scored 20-plus points in 21 games, including a career-high 31 points.

This year she picked up three WCC Player of the Week citations, was an All-WCC Women’s Basketball First Team honoree and was named to the 2014 WCC All-Tournament Team. Hamson was also named to the WCC All-Academic Team, the third such honor in her career.