HOUSTON – Rice junior Erica Ogwumike has been named the 2018-2019 Michael L. Slive Conference USA Female Athlete of the Year, announced on Friday (6/28) by C-USA Commissioner Judy Macleod. Ogwumike is the first Rice women's athlete to receive the conference's Female Athlete of the Year award and joins Anthony Rendon (baseball, 2009-10) and Jason Colwick (track & field, 2008-09) as the only student-athletes in Rice history to earn C-USA Athlete of the Year honors.

Ogwumike became the first player in Rice history to be named C-USA Player of the Year in a season in which she helped lead the Owls to their first-ever C-USA regular season and conference tournament titles. The Cypress, Texas native averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds and was the only player in C-USA to rank in the top-10 in scoring, rebounding, and steals (1.7 spg). Ogwumike led all C-USA players and ranked 17th in the NCAA with 18 double-doubles.

A C-USA First Team selection for a second straight year, Ogwumike scored in double-figures in 28 of 31 games and was 12th in the NCAA in defensive rebounds per game (8.0 rpg).

Ogwumike and the Owls advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005 and won a school record 28 games, while entering the AP Top 25 and USA Today/WBCA Coaches Poll Top 25 for the first time in program history.

In May, Ogwumike received an invitation and participated in the U.S. Pan Am Team Trials in Colorado.

The 2018-19 athletic season marked the 16th time that C-USA has honored Male and Female Athletes of the Year. WKU's Jake Sanford (baseball) was the male recipient this year. The award is based solely on athletic achievement during the academic year and the winners are determined through a vote by the league's Athletic Directors.

--Article From Riceowls.com--