Four Broncos Honored with WCC All-Academic Accolades

Posted: Feb 28, 2023

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Santa Clara University women's basketball sophomore forward Lara Edmanson was named Tuesday to the 2023 West Coast Conference All-Academic First Team, with three other Broncos earning honorable mention honors.

Edmanson's selection to the WCC All-Academic First Team extends the Broncos' streak of having at least one all-academic first team honoree to five years straight (since 2018-19). Anna Johnson, Ashley Hiraki and Lexie Pritchard each earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention accolades alongside Edmanson.

Edmanson carries an impressive 3.79 cumulative Grade Point Average as a double major in both biology and marketing. She earned WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention recognition last season. This season on the court, she has started in 29 of the Broncos' 31 games, averaging 10.6 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She ranks second in the WCC with a 55.3% field goal percentage. The third-year sophomore has four double-doubles on the year. She set a new career high with 23 points against San Diego on Feb. 18.

Anna Johnson owns a 3.80 cumulative GPA in religious studies. She appeared in 23 games for Santa Clara this season off the bench. She's averaging 1.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Johnson played a season-high 24 minutes versus Lincoln University (Calif.) at home on Dec. 2. She set season highs in points (8) and 3-pointers made (2) against Kansas City on Nov. 22 in the Broncos' 95-60 victory.

Ashley Hiraki has a 3.55 cumulative GPA in communication. She also landed on the WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention list a year ago. She has started every game (31) for Santa Clara this season and leads the WCC with 59 steals and 1.9 steals per game. She's averaging 6.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Her 59 steals this season are only nine away from 10th in a single season at Santa Clara, and her 136 career steals are 15 away from 10th all-time. She swiped a career high seven steals on Jan. 14 in the Broncos' 80-66 win over Pacific. She hit a career-best six 3-pointers and scored 20 points on Dec. 11 at Nevada in Santa Clara's 66-56 victory.

Lexie Pritchard owns a 3.74 cumulative GPA, now working on her master's degree in educational leadership. Pritchard has played in every game for Santa Clara this season but two, with seven starts. She's averaging 6.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. She tied a career high twice this season with 18 points, first against Lincoln University (Calif.) on Dec. 2 and again versus rival San Jose State on Dec. 13. She also tied a career high with six rebounds at Saint Mary's on Feb. 11.

At the conclusion of each athletic season, the WCC selects an all-academic squad for each WCC-sponsored sport. To be considered, a student-athlete must maintain at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average, while also being a significant contributor to her team and in at least their second year at their school.

Santa Clara next travels to the 2023 UCU WCC Basketball Tournament starting Thursday. The Broncos will be the No. 8 seed and face No. 9 seed Pepperdine in the first round of the tournament at noon on Thursday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.

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