SAN FRANCISCO – STANFORD’s Alanna Smith has been named the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the Conference office announced today. The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year is the first of several postseason honors that will be announced this week. Pac-12 Networks is set to air the Women’s Basketball Award Reveal on Tuesday, March 5, at 5 p.m. PT. The yearly honors for Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, John R. Wooden Coach of the Year, and Sixth Player of the Year will be announced on-air during the 60-minute show, which will also feature live interviews with award winners. The entire slate of All-Pac-12 teams will be announced earlier in the day and discussed on-air. In addition to the yearly awards, hosts Ashley Adamson and Mary Murphy will give in-depth analysis and recaps of the Conference regular season leading into the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be held in Las Vegas for the first time this year.

Smith is a psychology major with a 3.47 cumulative GPA and is a two-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree. Interested in early childhood development, Smith spent a quarter session at the Bing Nursery School on campus as part of her psychology class with a mission to promote the understanding of child development and improving lives of young children. A 2019 All-America candidate, Smith is involved in charitable causes throughout the community, including visits to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, St. Anthony’s Padua Dining Room and involvement with Children’s Champions. She also created Stanford's first Human Trafficking Awareness game on Jan. 20 against Washington State after taking a class on the issue last quarter.

The Melbourne, Australia native was named to several major award watch lists at the beginning of the season including the Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, Katrina McClain Award and Senior CLASS Award. She collected three Pac-12 Player of the Week awards this season (Dec. 17, Jan. 14, Feb. 18) and earned National Player of the Week recognition from espnW and USBWA for her performance on Dec. 17.

Smith is shooting 55.0 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from behind the arc and averaging a team-high 21.2 points per game enroute to becoming the 16th player in Cardinal history to record 1,500 career points. She has recorded nine double-doubles this season and is just 74 points shy of moving into 10th in school history among all-time scorers. Currently second in blocks (218), she looks to become the third player in program history to put together careers of 1,600 points, 150 made three-pointers and 200 blocks since the season.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletics accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in voting for the award.

A Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be named in each of the Pac-12’s 24 sponsored sports: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, beach volleyball, men’s cross country, women’s cross country, football, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, men’s rowing, women’s rowing, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s tennis, women’s tennis, men’s track & field, women’s track & field, women’s volleyball, and wrestling. The award was first established during the 2008-09 academic year.

Also nominated: Lindsey Malecha, ARIZ; Kianna Ibis, ASU; Kennedy Leonard, COLO; Katie McWilliams, OSU; Erika Bean, UTAH; Jenna Moser, WASH; Maria Kostourkova, WSU.

HOW TO WATCH WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARD REVEAL:

• All Pac-12 Networks coverage can be seen on either Pac-12 Network, the Pac-12 Now app (for iOS and Android) or on appropriate and available Pac-12 Networks regional channels.

• Coverage of the 2018-19 season for all Pac-12 sports can also be followed all year long across the Pac-12 and Pac-12 Networks’ digital and social media channels on Pac-12.com, Twitter (@Pac12Network and @Pac12), Facebook (facebook.com/Pac12Conference), Instagram (@Pac12Conference), Snapchat (@pac12conference) and Pac-12 Networks’ YouTube channel.

• More information on the multiple options to access and receive Pac-12 Networks anywhere in the United States is available at GetPac12Networks.com.