Four Blue Devils Earn Honors; Thomas Earns Yow Award

DURHAM, N.C. - Over the weekend at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament, four Duke women's basketball student-athletes were named to the All-ACC Academic team, while junior Jasmine Thomas was presented the Kay Yow Award as the Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Thomas along with senior Keturah Jackson, senior Bridgette Mitchell and freshman Allison Vernerey earned All-ACC Academic team honors. With four selections, Duke led all ACC schools for the second straight year.

A native of Fairfax, Va., Thomas earned All-ACC Academic Team honors for the second straight year. A sociology major, Thomas received ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors earlier this season as well. A Naismith, Wade Trophy and John R. Wooden Award candidate for National Player of the Year, Thomas led Duke to its sixth ACC Championship over the weekend, while being named ACC Tournament MVP.

Thomas has started all 32 contests, while leading Duke in scoring (15.8 ppg), three-point field goals (59), assists (4.2), steals (2.8) and minutes (32.3), is second in free throw percentage (.757) and in three-point field goal percentage (.369). She currently ranks 27th in the NCAA with a 2.8 steals per game average and owns a team-best 10 games with 20 or more points scored.

ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their career as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters. The award is based 60 percent on academic achievement and 40 percent on athletic accomplishment.

Jackson, a 2009 Duke graduate and current graduate student in the Fuqua Business School, received All-ACC Academic Team accolades for the first time in her career. An All-ACC Defensive team selection from Columbia, S.C., Jackson ranks tied for sixth in the ACC in steals.

A product of Trenton, N.J., Mitchell has started 24 of 32 contests on the season for the sixth-ranked Blue Devils. She has averaged 8.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.0 assists. Mitchell is a sociology major.

Vernerey, who is from Alsace, France, was one of five selections to the All-ACC Freshman team in 2009-10 after averaging 7.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and blocking 23 shots. She had her best game of the season against N.C. State with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

To be eligible for consideration for the academic squad, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.0 cumulative average during her academic career.

2009-10 All-ACC Academic Women's Basketball Team
Name, Class, Pos, School         Major
Ayla Brown, Sr., F, Boston College      Communications
Brittanny Johnson, Gr., G, Boston College       Administrative Studies
Keturah Jackson, Gr., G/F, Duke Business
Jasmine Thomas, Jr., G, Duke    Sociology
Allison Vernerey, Fr., C, Duke Undeclared
Bridgette Mitchell, Sr., F/G, Duke      Sociology
Christian Hunnicutt, Jr., G, Florida State      Communication Science and Disorder
Deja Foster, Jr., G, Georgia Tech       Management
Lori Bjork, Gr., G, Maryland    Kinesiological Sciences
Tianna Hawkins, Fr., F, Maryland        Undeclared
Diandra Tchatchouang, Fr., F, Maryland Undeclared
Morgan Stroman, Fr., F, Miami   Sports Administration
Marissa Kastanek, Fr., G, NC State      Psychology
Brittany Strachan, Sr., F, NC State     Computer Science
Alyssa Fenyn, Fr., G, Virginia Tech     University Studies
Lindsay Biggs, Sr., G Virginia Tech     Sociology