Ionescu grabs 2 more big honors
East Bay native is AP women’s POY, Sullivan finalist
The games for Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu may have ended but the honors keep rolling in for the former Miramonte High star. Two more arrived on Monday.
The Ducks’ star senior guard was named the unanimous winner of The Associated Press’ women’s basketball player award as well as a finalist for the Sullivan Award, given annually to the nation’s most outstanding amateur athlete.
Ionescu became just the second woman ever to win AP’s award by earning all the votes, joining UConn’s Breanna Stewart (2016).
“That’s pretty crazy. Someone I look up to and have a good relationship with,” Ionescu told the AP. “To be in that class with her is an honor.”
Ionescu is just the second Oregon athlete in the 90-year history of the Sullivan Award to be named a finalist, with ex-Ducks volleyball star Liz Brenner finishing as a runner-up in 2012.
Cal’s Abbey Weitzeil, an Olympic and All-American swimmer, joined Ionescu and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence among the 10 finalists named Monday. (Fans can see the other finalists and participate in the voting process here).
Weitzeil’s resume from this year includes becoming the first woman ever to clock under the 21-second mark in the 50-yard free (20.90). She twice broke the American record for the 50 this season while also winning four national titles in the NCAA Championships. Weitzeil
won a gold medal in the 2016 Rio Games and teamed with Dana Vollmer, Simone Manuel and Katie Ledecky to set an American record in the 400 medley relay.
Last week, Ionescu became just the eighth women’s basketball player to be a three-time, first team AP All-American. Along the way, she broke the NCAA career tripledouble record (26) and also became the first player in college history with 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds
and 1,000 assists.
“Sabrina is a transcendent basketball player,” said Oregon coach Kelly Graves. “There’s really nothing that she couldn’t do on the court. She was the ultimate leader.”
But, Ionescu may not be done collecting awards. She’s a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and a favorite to repeat as a winner two more prestigious national player of the year honors, the Wooden Award and Wade Trophy.