Three Buffs Score Pac-12 Honors
SAN FRANCISCO – Senior Mya Hollingshed highlighted a trio of Colorado honorees following the Pac-12's announcement of its annual All-Conference Awards on Monday.
Hollingshed picked up an All-Conference nod, while sophomore Jaylyn Sherrord was selected to the All-Defensive Team and freshman Frida Formann was named honorable mention All-Freshman.
Hollingshed, a Houston, Texas, native, leads the Pac-12 this season with eight double-doubles. She has scored in double figures in 18 of Colorado's 19 games, posting four games with 20 or more points. Hollingshed, CU's top scorer, ranks sixth in the conference with her career-best 16.7 points per game. She's also among the top rebounders in the conference, ranking second with 8.3 boards per game.
"What an incredible accomplishment for Mya," head coach JR Payne commented. "To be selected amongst the elite players in the Pac-12 is a great honor. Mya has worked her entire career to become great. She has become one of the most versatile, well rounded and consistent players in the Pac-12 and it's wonderful to see her hard work be recognized by the conference. As a coach, I am so proud of Mya for the way that she has blossomed and grown both on and off the court throughout her career."
Hollingshed has moved into 22nd on CU's scoring list (1,207 pts) this season and became the 32nd member of the 1,000-point club. She has totaled 157 rebounds this season, helping her to 659 for her career (15th all-time). She has put up career numbers this season, setting new highs in points against then-No. 1 Stanford (32) and totaled 17 rebounds at Arizona State. Hollingshed was the Pac-12 Player of the Week following CU's 77-72 overtime upset of Stanford, as well as being named to the NCAA's Starting 5 for the week.
Sherrod, a sophomore from Birmingham, Ala., ranks second in the Pac-12 with her 2.4 steals per game, despite missing the final seven games for the Buffs. In 12 games this season, Sherrod totaled 29 steals and 41 rebounds, 33 on the defensive glass. She had a career-high six steals twice this season against Air Force and Denver. Sherrod also had a career-high eight rebounds at Oregon State this season.
"I am so happy for Jaylyn to be named to the All Defensive team, even though she has missed the second half of league due to surgery," Payned said. "When Jay's season ended, she was No. 1 in the conference in steals and up until last weekend was tied for No. 1 in steals per game. The best part about this honor is that after Jay's freshman year, she made a commitment to becoming a better defensive player, studied a lot of film, and with her intentional effort, has become one of the best defenders in the Pac-12. I'm very proud of Jay for her desire to be great on both sides of the ball and putting in the work to make it happen."
Formann, a Bagsværd, Denmark, native, leads Colorado with her 47 3-pointers this season. She's fifth in the Pac-12 in both 3-point field goals made and 3-point field goals per game (2.47). Formman has shot 38.8 percent from behind the arc this season, ranking second in the conference. Formann scored a season-high 25 points at California, hitting six 3-pointers in the contest. She's second on the team in scoring (11.5 ppg) to go with her 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists.
"Before Frida came to CU, we knew that she would be a great player in the Pac-12," Payne explained. "With her incredible amount of international experience, she doesn't play like a typical freshman. Frida has shown time and time again that she is unafraid to take big shots. She comes up clutch when we need her and has been remarkably consistent all year long. I am so happy for her to be recognized as an elite freshman in the Pac-12 and know that she will continue to do great things as a Buff."
Colorado will head to Las Vegas, later on, Monday night in preparation for the Pac-12 Tournament. The Buffs earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament with an 8-8 conference finish. It is CU's best Pac-12 finish since earning the No. 4 seed in the 2013 Tournament.
CU will rematch with Washington, the No. 11 seed. Due to the cancelation of Sunday's game at Utah, the Huskies were CU's last opponent of the regular season. The two teams met on Feb. 21 in Seattle. CU went 2-0 against UW this season.
The tournament gets underway on Wednesday, Mar. 3. Colorado and Washington will conclude the opening day of the tournament, playing the final game at Michelob Ultra Arena (9 p.m. MT tip).