SEATTLE -- Washington State University junior volleyball player Taylor Mims will be honored tonight as a nominee for the Female Sports Star of the Year, one of three categories that make up the 83rd Annual Sports Star of the Year presented by MTR and the Seattle Sports Commission.
 
Nominees in the categories of Female Sports Star of the Year, Male Sports Star of the Year, and Sports Story of the Year were selected by the Sports Star of the Year Committee which is comprised of Seattle-area sports historians, media and major programs and franchises. The winners will be announced Thurs., Feb. 8, at Benaroya Hall.

Mims, from Billings, Mont., led the WSU volleyball team to its second consecutive NCAA Championship Tournament Second Round appearance in spite of losing three starters to injury during the season. The talented 6-3 showed her versatility by changing positions from middle blocker to outside hitter prior to the season starting. Mims was named to the 2017 All-Pac-12 Volleyball First Team and to the PrepVolleyball.com and VolleyballMag.com All-America Honorable Mention teams. She was a team co-captain and the Cougars statistical leader with 4.17 kills per set and 4.75 points per set, both sixth-best in Pac-12, 30th and 26th in NCAA. Mims had 28 kills in the Cougars 3-1 win over Florida State, the most kills in any 2017 NCAA tournament match.
 
Joining Mims as nominees for the Female Sports Star of the Year are: Ali Aguilar, University of Washington softball; Jessica Fishlock, Seattle Reign FC; Amy-Eloise Neal, University of Washington cross country, Chantel Osahor, University of Washington basketball, and Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm.
 
Nominees for the Male Sports Star of the Year are: Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks; Nelson Cruz, Seattle Mariners; Luke Falk, Washington State football; Stefan Frei, Seattle Sounders; and Dante Pettis, University of Washington football.
 
Nominees for the Sports Story of the Year are: Gonzaga men's basketball's first trip to the NCAA Final Four, University of Washington players being the first pick in both the NBA and WNBA drafts, the Oak View Group getting the go-ahead to remodel KeyArena, the University of Washington and Western Washington University rowing teams both winning titles, the Sounders' return trip to the MLS Cup Final, and big performances by Storm players in the WNBA All-Star Game in Seattle.