AUSTIN, Texas – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) have announced the 2021-22 Academic All-America® Women's Basketball Team, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Eastern Oregon University player Taylor Stricklin made the final cut, being named a member of the First Team.
For Stricklin this is her first career Academic All-America® selection. She is a two-time Academic All-District® selection, having garnered the honor each of these last two seasons. She is the lone student-athlete from the West Coast that was selected and the only selection out of the Cascade Collegiate Conference. She is the first Academic All-America® selection for the Mounties since the 2018-19 season when Maya Ah You Dias was named a First Team selection as well.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. The cumulative grade-point average may NOT be rounded up to 3.30.
On the court, Stricklin was a consistent presence for the Mountaineers in her senior campaign. She has started all 30 games and helped lead EOU to an at-large berth for the NAIA National Tournament, the team's first since 2018-19. She was the team leader in minutes played at 36.0 per game and was the second leading scorer at 13.4 points per game. Stricklin was a two-way threat as she also led Eastern in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game.
She finished second in total blocks with 16 and had the second most assists with 68. In her senior season, Stricklin shot 42.1% from the field, going 147-349. She was the team leader in three pointers made with 69 and shot 31.4% from three-point range for the year. She also had one of the top free throw percentages, finishing at 74.5% for the season.
Academic accolades are no stranger to Stricklin, who will leave EOU as one of the best to perform not only on the hardwood, but also in the classroom. She currently sports a perfect 4.0 GPA while working on her Master's degree in Teaching. She finished her undergraduate career with a 3.99 GPA while receiving her Bachelor's degree Health & Human Performance. Stricklin has also been tabbed to the U.S. Bank CCC Academic All-Academic Team twice (2020-21, 2021-22) and was named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete last year. For CoSIDA, she walks away with two First Team Academic All-District® awards and the coveted First Team Academic All-America® honor.
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