Hailey Diestelkamp, a senior forward from Drury University, was named the DII Honda Athlete of the Year finalist for Basketball for the second straight season as announced today by Executive Director Chris Voelz of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) presented by Honda.
The CWSA has been balancing the recognition of deserving honorees with these unusual times as collegiate athletics have come to a halt. Given the nationwide pandemic, the CWSA will be announcing the winter honorees, the 2020 Inspiration Award finalists and winner and recently announced the cancellation of the 2020 Collegiate Women Sports Awards event that was scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in June.
The two-time WBCA Division II Player of the Year, Diestelkamp was most recently named the Ron Lenz D2CCA Player of the Year and earned her second first-team All-America honors. She has also been named the 2020 Midwest Region Player of the Year by the D2CCA, was the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Player of the Year, and the MVP of the GLVC tournament after the Lady Panthers won their fourth straight league title.
“I am very honored to have an opportunity like this again,” said Diestelkamp. “It is just a big award but Icould not have accomplished what I have without the amazing support and the amazing teammates and coaches. I am so blessed to be able to represent Drury University, especially in a time like this. Thank you so much.”
Hailing from Owensville, Mo., Diestelkamp averaged 21.6 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, shot .522 from the field and registered 2.8 steals per game. The senior became the first player in Drury history to surpass 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds, and her 2,321 career points led all active players in Division II at the end of the year. She is Drury's all-time leader in scoring and rebounding in addition to being fourth all-time in steals.
She set a team and GLVC single-game scoring record with 53 points in the final home game of her career and managed to score in double-figures in 30 of Drury's 32 games. Diestelkamp was named the NCAA-II Player of the Week twice during 2019-20 in addition to earning MVP honors in the GLVC Tournament for the third year in a row as she helped the Lady Panthers to their fourth consecutive conference title.
“Hailey is an all-around game changer,”said Drury 2019-20 head coach Molly Miller. “She will stuff the box score while finding every ounce of joy she can on the court or on the sidelines cheering for her teammates. She was instrumental in our undefeated season, and her leadership as a captain positively impacted our team in so many ways. It was a dream to be able to coach her not only because of her basketball talents but her positive impact off the floor as well.”
The Honda Sports finalists are recognized in 11 DII and DIII NCAA-sanctioned sports; cross country, basketball, field hockey, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, volleyball, and track & field.
THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards has honored the nation’s top NCAA women athletes for 44 years, recognizing superior athletic skills, leadership, academic excellence and eagerness to participate in community service. Since commencing its sponsorship in 1986, Honda has provided more than $3.4 million in institutional grants to the universities of the award winners and nominees to support women’s athletics programs at the institutions.
About Honda Corporate Social Responsibility
Honda also is committed to making positive contributions to the communities where it does business, conducting socially responsible business practices and promoting diversity in its workforce. From Honda's involvement in STEM education and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to its support of pediatric brain tumor research and volunteer efforts by Honda associates, including environmental clean-up activities, Honda believes in giving back to the communities where its associates live and work. Learn more at http://csr.honda.com/.