NEW YORK (Feb. 4, 2025) ---
Nkiru Awaka of Queens College has been named Divisions II/III Women’s Player of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Association.
The designation, for games played Feb. 3-9, is unique in that it encompasses players from 49 Met area schools across Divisions II and III.
This is the first MBWA weekly award for Awaka.
A 6-0 sophomore forward from Hyde Park, NY, Awaka --- who also was named the East Coast Conference player of the week --- produced a high-flying double-double with 30 points and 23 rebounds as the homestanding Knights (9-11) defeated Roberts Wesleyan 77-66 in their only contest last week.
Awaka connected on 11-of-18 shots (61.1%) from the field and drilled 8-of-10 free throws to go with four steals and one block in the game.
She tied a career-best 11 made field goals in a game for the third time this season, all three performances coming against ECC opponents, and recorded a career-best eight made free throws in the victory. The 23 rebounds matched the second-most boards in a single game for Queens and the best since February 2008.
Players receiving MBWA Divisions II/III Honorable Mention for the week: Natalie Bruns, NYU; Mia Castillo, Baruch; Alexa Charles, Hunter; Heaven Figueroa, Lehman; Tova Gelb, Vassar; Gianna Pica, Drew; Esther Ramos, Manhattanville; Hannah Ramsden, USMMA; Ashley Zeolla, John Jay.
Previous MBWA 2024-25 Divisions II/III Women’s Players of the Week: Dec. 10,
Natalie Bruns, NYU; Dec. 17,
Carolae Barton, USMMA; Jan. 7,
Renee Wells, William Paterson; Jan. 14,
Heaven Figueroa, Lehman; Jan. 21,
Mia Castillo of Baruch; Jan. 28,
Alexa Charles, Hunter; Feb. 4,
Alexa Charles, Hunter.
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ---