Vivians Named To Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List
December 04, 2015 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Victoria Vivians earned another national recognition this week, being named by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the watch list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.
She was one of 20 players from 16 schools tabbed to the list of candidates for the award, which is presented to the women's basketball national player of the year.
Vivians is one of five players from the SEC on the list, joining Diamond DeShields (Tennessee), Tiffany Mitchell (South Carolina), Courtney Williams (Texas A&M) and A'ja Wilson (South Carolina).
“I'm honored to be considered for this award,” Vivians said. “There are some outstanding players on this list, and I appreciate the USBWA recognizing my hard work. I also have to thank my teammates and coaches, because I wouldn't have received this opportunity without their support and encouragement.”
Vivians has led Mississippi State to a 5-1 start to the season and Top-10 national rankings in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls.
The Carthage, Miss., native ranks sixth in the SEC in scoring with 17.2 ppg. She paced State with 12 points in Wednesday's road setback at No. 6 Texas to become the fifth-fastest Bulldog to eclipse 600-career points.
The 12-point effort was her fifth-straight game in double figures. In that span, she had three games with 20-plus points, including a season-high 27 last Sunday against Savannah State.
Vivians has been solid from the field for Vic Schaefer's squad, rating 11th in the league with a 44.4-percent field goal percentage. She tops the SEC with 2.7 made 3-pointers per game, and ranks seventh in 3-point percentage with 38.1 percent.
The latest accolade comes after she was named to the watch list for the Wooden Award and first team preseason All-SEC.
Vivians earned the recognition following a stellar rookie season that saw her claim Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, second team All-SEC accolades and SEC All-Freshman Team accolades.
She capped her freshman campaign third in the SEC and tops among freshmen with 14.9 ppg. Her 505 points ranked fourth-most by a Bulldog freshman.
Her scoring average also included 13.8 ppg in SEC play, tops by a freshman and seventh regardless of class, and a 17.5 average against ranked opponents.
The award will be presented at the College Basketball Awards gala in Oklahoma City on April 11, 2016.
Vivians and the ninth-ranked Bulldogs return to Humphrey Coliseum Sunday, hosting Tennessee State in a 2 p.m. tip on SEC Network +.
