Austgulen named Player of the Year

With her impressive college athletic career winding down, VCU Women’s Basketball’s senior Kristine Austgulen has received repeated recognition. The star forward was awarded the title of Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year March 11. Austgulen is the first non-Old Dominion University player to receive the award since 1991.

Austgulen led the league averaging 18.7 points per game and 10.7 rebounds. She also came in second in the league with a field goal percentage of 52. Austgulen was named first team All-CAA for the second season in a row, making her the only repeat selection this year.

Aside from her obvious success on the court, Austgulen also excels in the classroom. She carries a 4.0 GPA and has been named first team Academic All-American twice. Most recently, she was named Verizon Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Austgulen is only the second athlete in VCU history to receive the Verizon honor.

Even though Austgulen missed the final four games of the season with a back injury, she was still able to lead the CAA with 14 double-doubles. Austgulen currently holds 11 VCU season records and 10 career records. She is also third place in VCU history, with 1,572 career points and second place with 799 career rebounds.

Despite her strong athletic ability, Austgulen looks to continue her promising academic career once her VCU run is over.

Austgulen has applied to several different schools and plans to pursue a graduate degree in political science.