MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine women's basketball (21-12, 10-8 WCC) saw two Waves honored with College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Honors, the organization announced Tuesday.
 
In order to be eligible for CSC Academic All District, a student athlete must maintain at least a 3.5 GPA while participating in 90 percent of the season's games with a substantial impact on the stat line. Elli Guiney and Taija Sta. Maria were named to the Academic All-District team for Pepperdine's first mention on the prestigious list in seven years. Both have started in every game for the Waves this season, putting together an average of 31 minutes per game.
 
Sta. Maria leads the Waves in assists this year, averaging 7.6 points per game while shooting .464 from the field. The Toronto, Canada native has logged the second most minutes on the team, playing nearly the whole 40 minutes in both WNIT games this postseason for the Waves. In the classroom, Sta. Maria is earning a degree in Sport Administration.
 
Guiney, who leads the team in scoring, averages 14.9 points per game and was named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team earlier this season. In this classroom, she is earning a degree in Sports Medicine. The sophomore was advanced to the academic All-American ballot to be voted on and announced April 16.
 
Last year, less than five percent of student athletes were recognized with this honor, celebrating student-athletes with stellar success in the classroom as well as on the court. For Pepperdine, it is the program's first honor since 2019 and the first year with multiple honorees ever.
 
Pepperdine heads to Vermillion, South Dakota for a Super 16 matchup with the Coyotes this week. The Waves are playing in the third round of the WNIT, tying the program's longest postseason run with a chance at history on the line. Tip off is scheduled for 5 pm pst. and the game will be streamed on Midco Sports (subscription required) with live stats available on www.pepperdinewaves.com.
 
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Pepperdine women's basketball has made four NCAA postseason appearances in its history, having won the WCC regular-season four times and the WCC Tournament on three occasions. With six All-American selections in program history, the Waves have also seen success in the WNIT Tournament which included a run to the Sweet Sixteen in 2019.
 
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