South Carolina junior Aliyah Boston became the University's first winner of the Honda Cup, which honors the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year. It caps a season during which Boston was the unanimous National Player of the Year and the NCAA Women's Final Four Most Outstanding Player after leading the Gamecocks to the 2022 National Championship.
The unanimous national player of the year was also the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, and Boston won both titles from the SEC as well. A three-time Lisa Leslie Award winner, the Gamecocks' leading scorer (16.8 ppg) led the nation with 30 double-doubles this season, including an SEC-record 27 straight to become just the third player in NCAA Div. I women's basketball history with a streak at least that long. Her 12.5 rebounds per game were fourth in the nation.
In the Gamecocks' 14 games against ranked opponents, including seven against top-10 foes, Boston poured in 18.1 points per game and grabbed 13.9 rebounds per outing. In just her second NCAA Tournament, she was named Most Outstanding Player at both the Greensboro Regional and the Final Four after averaging 16.8 points and 15.2 rebounds in the tournament, during which she also led the team in assists.
In the classroom, Boston also excels as a mass communications major. The combination of her 3.733 grade point average and on-court accolades have earned her CoSIDA Women's Basketball Academic All-America of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
The CWSA, celebrating its 46th anniversary year, has honored the nation's top NCAA women athletes for their superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its partnership in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women's athletics programs.
