PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh women's basketball program placed a program record eight student-athletes on the 2022-23 All-ACC Academic Team, as announced by the league office Thursday afternoon.
 
The eight Panthers who earned a spot on the squad are Dayshanette Harris, Emy Hayford, Gabby Hutcherson, Maliyah Johnson, Liatu King, Avery Strickland, Destiny Strother and Marley Washenitz.
 
The Panthers had the second most recipients in the conference behind only Clemson (nine) while also surpassing the previous school record of three recipients in 2015. In total, Pitt has had 23 All-ACC Academic Team selections since joining the conference in 2013-14.
 
Harris earned the recognition for the fourth straight season as she becomes the first Panther in program history to do so. King also earned the recognition for the second straight season as she is one of four Panthers in program history to earn a spot on the team in multiple seasons while the other six recipients earned the honor for the first time in their respective careers.
 
Harris, an administration of justice major, had another strong season for the Panthers as she appeared in all 30 games while earning 16 starts. She closed out her senior campaign averaging 8.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists while connecting on a career-high 20 three-pointers. Harris became the 20^th member of the Panthers' 1,000 point club on Jan. 29 at Boston College.
 
King, a business information systems; supply chain management major, closed out the best season of her collegiate career as she appeared in all 30 games and earned 22 starts at forward for the Panthers. She averaged a career-high 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks while shooting 39.4% from the floor. She ranked fourth in the ACC in blocks (1.4 bpg), fifth in rebounds (7.6 rpg) and 11^th in field goal percentage (39.4%) while racking up a career-high five double-doubles on the year.
 
Hayford, a law, criminal justice & society major, capped her four-year Pitt career appearing in 29 games while earning 13 starts at point guard. The Netherlands native finished the season averaging 16.0 minutes, 2.1 points, 1.8 assists and 1.6 rebounds while also notching 21 steals which ranked sixth on the squad.
 
Hutcherson, a communication: Rhetoric and communications major, closed out her first season as a Panther appearing in 29 games while making seven starts at forward. The athletic forward finished her year averaging a career-high 17.1 minutes, 5.0 points and 3.5 rebounds while also ranking second on the team in blocked shots (26) and notching 19 steals. She also shot 34.3% from behind the arc while ranking fourth on the team with 23 three-pointers made.
 
Johnson, an undeclared major, was an impact player in her second season as a Panther as she appeared in all 30 games and made a career-high 26 starts. The gifted scorer finished the season averaging 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while also chipping in with 27 steals and 23 assists on the year. She shot 38% from the floor and 30.8% from deep while connecting on a career-high 36 three-pointers which ranked second on the team. The three level scorer capped her season with 13 double digit scoring games after posting none as a freshman.
 
Strickland, an undeclared major, came right in as a freshman and made an impact for Pitt as she appeared in all 30 games and made 11 starts. The gifted scorer finished off her first collegiate season averaging 20.1 minutes, 6.2 points and 1.7 rebounds while adding 28 assists and 12 steals. She shot 38.3% from the floor and 33.9% from behind the arc while leading the squad with 39 three-pointers made on the season.
 
Strother, a communication: rhetoric and communications major, was a contributor off the bench for Pitt during her senior season as she appeared in 16 games and made one start. The gifted shooter finished her season averaging 1.3 points while making six triples in limited minutes for a deep squad.
 
Washenitz, a business major, provided a major spark for the Panthers during her first season as she appeared in 28 games and made 16 starts at point guard. The West Virginia native capped her freshman campaign averaging 14.5 minutes, 3.3 points, 1.5 assists and 1.3 rebounds while ranking fifth on the team with 25 steals. The high-motor player also connected on 11 three-pointers on the year while missing just one free throw attempt.
 
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one's academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
 
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
 
 
 
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