Storm Forward Takes Home Two ESPYs

LOS ANGELES – Seattle Storm rookie forward Breanna Stewart was presented with two awards at the 2016 ESPY Awards on Wednesday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

In a clean sweep, Stewart won both of the individual awards she was nominated for, including ‘Best Female Athlete.’ The 2016 first overall WNBA Draft selection also won ‘Best Female Collegiate Athlete.’ Along with her former University of Connecticut women’s basketball teammates, she was nominated for ‘Best Team.’

Following her sophomore season in 2014, Stewart won ‘Best Female Collegiate Athlete.’ She was also honored at the 2012 ESPY Awards after winning Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior in high school.

Stewart is currently averaging a league-high 9.7 rebounds per game, is fourth in scoring with 19.5 points per game and third in blocks with 1.9 rejections per game. The Syracuse, New York native has been named the WNBA Rookie of the Month for the months of May and June. She is the early favorite for the 2016 WNBA Rookie of the Year award, as chosen in the annual WNBA General Managers survey published at the start of the season.

During a historic, unprecedented career at Connecticut, Stewart won four consecutive national championships and guided the Huskies to a pair of perfect seasons (2013-14 and 2015-16). She was named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in all four of her team’s title runs and won AP Player of the Year three straight seasons.

A four-year starter at Connecticut, Stewart is the fifth Husky to be selected with the top pick in the WNBA draft. She finished her college career with a 151-5 record after leading the Huskies in scoring for the past three seasons. During her senior year, Stewart averaged 19.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from the 3-point line.

Stewart is the only player in Division I women’s basketball history to record 300 blocks and 300 assists in her career. At the 2013 Final Four, she became the first freshman in 26 years to earn the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. Stewart has also played for the United States National Team, helping the USA win gold at the 2014 FIBA World Championship.