SAN DIEGO—Sydney Shepard was named to the West Coast Conference Women's Basketball All-Academic Team, as announced Wednesday by the conference.
 
It is the second straight recognition for Shepard (3.66 GPA, Business Administration) after earning honorable mention in 2017-18. The senior guard has started all 27 games for the Toreros this season and is averaging 7.6 points and 2.2 rebounds. She leads the team in assists per game (3.5) and three-pointers, shooting 31 percent (49-of-156). She scored a career-high 26 points against UTSA (Dec. 15), including six three-point field goals. 
 
Joining Shepard, is sophomore guard Myah Pace (3.62 GPA, Architecture) who started the first 14 games for USD before being sidelined due to injury midway through the season. Pace averaged 8.9 points and 5.6 rebounds for San Diego. She went 76 percent from the free-throw line (40-of-53) and led the conference in assists (4.8 per game) prior to injury. 
 
To be considered for conference academic honors, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average while playing in at least 50 percent of the team's games as a starter or significant reserve. The student-athlete must also have completed one full academic year at the team's institution.
 
2018-19 WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Name                           School                     Class        GPA        Major
Bree Alford                   Loyola Marymount    Gr.        3.73         Educational Studies
Sara Hamson                Brigham Young         Soph.      3.90         Bioinformatics
Ameela Li                     Pacific                         Sr.          3.97         Business Administration
Moa Lundqvist            San Francisco             Sr.          3.73         Advertising
Maddie Muhlheim        Portland                   Soph.      3.94         Business
Sydney Shepard            San Diego                  Sr.          3.66         Business Administration
Chandler Smith             Gonzaga                    Gr.          3.87         M.A. Organizational Leadership
Carly Turner                  Saint Mary's              Gr.          3.90         Business Administration
Andee Velasco              Loyola Marymount    Sr.          3.51         Entrepreneurship
Lauren Yearwood          Santa Clara               R-Jr.         3.87         Biology
 
2018-19 WCC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTION
Maria Albiero, BYU; Nia Alexander, San Francisco; Cierra Belvin, Loyola Marymount; Jose Buckingham, Loyola Marymount; Katie Campbell, Gonzaga; Emily Codding, Saint Mary's; Claire Ferguson, Saint Mary's; Jasmine Forcadilla, Saint Mary's; Megan House, Pepperdine; Lisa Kaempf, Portland; Jose Matz, Portland; Myah Pace, San Diego; Isabelle Parker, Pacific; Rose Pflug, Pepperdine; Zykera Rice, Gonzaga; Keyari Sleezer, Pepperdine; Julie Spencer, Portland; Jill Townsend, Gonzaga; Bianca Velasco, Loyola Marymount; Jenn Wirth, Gonzaga; Emily Wolph, Santa Clara