April 1, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C. ââ’¬” South Carolina senior guard Tiffany Mitchell was named to the Senior CLASS Award All-America First Team, the organization announced today. The award, chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women’s basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans, is given annual to senior student-athletes in NCAA Division I women’s basketball who have notable achievements in classroom, community, character and competition.

Throughout her career, Mitchell has shown excellence in all four areas recognized by this award. Among the highest GPAs on the team, including a pair of 4.0 semesters, she has been an example for younger players in how to balance academics with their athletic dreams and earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team this season. Through both her team and her sorority, Mitchell has incorporated community service into her schedule, speaking to elementary schools and taking part in Special Olympics and Relay for Life events. As competitive a player as there is, Mitchell has always shown great character both in and out of the game.

On the court, Mitchell is the Gamecocks’ first three-time All-American since 1989 and finished her career ranked fifth in program history in scoring with 1,885 points. She is second in career 3-point field goal percentage (.399) and career free throw percentage (.773) and ranks among the program’s all-time top in seven other categories, including school records for games started (135) and games played (139). Her arrival in Columbia marked the start of the program’s most successful era, catapulting the Gamecocks and herself into the national spotlight as a finalist for all three national player of the year awards in 2014-15 and making two of those lists again in 2015-16.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. Breanna Stewart of UConn was the Senior CLASS Award winner this season.

Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-America
Ruth Hamblin, Oregon State
Moriah Jefferson, UConn
Kelsey Minato, Army West Point
Tiffany Mitchell, South Carolina
Breanna Stewart, UConn

Senior CLASS Award Second-Team All-America
Jillian Alleyne, Oregon
Adut Bulgak, Florida State
Aundrea Gamble, Arkansas State
Bria Holmes, West Virginia
Jonquel Jones, George Washington