SAN FRANCISCO – Four Washington State women's basketball student-athletes earned Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honorable mention, conference commissioner Larry Scott announced Thursday.
Senior Mariah Cooks earned the honor for the third-consecutive year, while sophomores Bianca Blanaru, Louise Brown, and Pinelopi Pavlopoulou garnered the honor in their first year of eligibility. The honors mark the first time since 2012 that at least four Cougar student-athletes have earned conference academic honors, and the sixth time in the past 10 seasons.
Cooks, who will graduate this spring with a degree in political science, owns a 3.28 GPA. The Santa Maria, Calif., native was second on the team in scoring, averaging 6.8 points per game and 8.2 ppg in Pac-12 play during her final season. Cooks concluded her WSU career with 126 games played, tied for third-most in program history, and the ninth-most defensive rebounds in school history with 367.
Blanaru, a center from Timisoara, Romania, earned her first-career honor with a 3.02 GPA. Blanaru appeared in all 30 games for the Cougars, making 19 starts. She pulled in 2.1 rebounds per game and averaged 2.3 points per game. Blanaru was a part of WSU's frontline that set the single-season blocks record, swatting away 22 of the Cougars' 120 total blocked shots.
Majoring in sport management, Brown owns a 3.02 GPA. On the court, the Melbourne native averaged 5.5 points per game and pulled in 4.0 rebounds per game. Brown's quick hands also helped her nab 39 steals and block 19 shots in 28 games played.
With a team-best 3.69 GPA, Pavlopoulou is currently pursuing a degree in management information systems. A native of Athens, Greece, she also navigated the hardwood with 4.3 points per game, while dishing out 58 assists, bested only by starting point guard Dawnyelle Awa. Pavlopoulou shot an impressive .474 (54-of-114) from the floor, while appearing in all 30 games.
To be eligible for selection to the academic teams, a student-athlete must be in their redshirt-freshman season or above and have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average, while participating in at least 50 percent of team competitions.
