April 11, 2014
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - As the 2013-14 women's basketball season officially came to a close, the Toreros honored their seniors and team standouts at their annual banquet on Thursday, April 10th. The season was a memorable one, as these Toreros posted the best start for any sport in the Division I era at USD at 15-0, USD received its first ever national ranking, No. 24 on Jan. 7, and USD received votes in the top-25 for eight consecutive weeks. The Toreros also reached the Sweet-16 of the WNIT.
Alysse Barlow, Amy Kame, Kameron Knutson and Felicia Wijenberg were all honored at the banquet as graduating seniors. They have been an intricate part of the foundation for women's basketball at USD. As a part of the 2011-12 WNIT Final Four team, they've seen first-hand the transformation and the winning mentality necessary at the championship level. They also helped lead USD to three consecutive 20-plus winning seasons, and three consecutive postseason appearances, both a first in program history.
Senior guard Amy Kame was honored as the team's Most Valuable Player. Kame was the team's leading scorer with an average of 17.4 ppg, while shooting .422 from the field. Kame moved herself into No. 3 all-time on the scoring list at USD with 1,546 career points, while also taking home first-team All-WCC honors for a second consecutive season. Kame didn't limit her basketball skills to just scoring, as she also finishes her career as second all-time in steals with 221, and sixth all-time in career steals.
Sophia Ederaine was honored as the team's Most Improved Player because of her continued impact on the team over the course of the season. Ederaine led the Toreros in blocked shots with 83, and she moved into third all-time in career blocks with 194. Offensively, she averaged a career-high 9.7 ppg, and a career-high 4.6 rebounds-per-game. She led the team with six double-doubles on the season, and she was named to the WCC All-Academic team.
Kameron Knutson was named winner of the Torero award this season. In her senior year, she has helped USD post a program record 15-game wining streak, and helped lead USD to its first ever national ranking of No. 24 on Jan. 7. For her career, she has scored 305 points, with a career-high of 12 coming in a win over Hope International. She has been asked to play as a starter, and as a reserve, and Knutson answered all roles with the utmost confidence, and enthusiasm. She is truly the definition of a team player.
The Maggie Dixon Award is given to the player that consistently strives for excellence on and off the court. This year's award went to senior Felicia Wijenberg. In her freshman season, she came on strong down the stretch of the regular-season, and for her efforts she as named to the All-WCC Freshman team. After redshirting the very next season, she retuned to the court for USD and helped lead the Toreros to the best season in program history, as USD posted a overall record of 26-9, and USD reached the final four of the WNIT. Then in her final year, she enjoyed the best numbers of her career, as she averaged 10.2 ppg, and 7.3 rebounds-per-game.
