Vivians Receives Inaugural Young Woman Of The Year Award
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Another day, another accolade for Mississippi State freshman Victoria Vivians. The most recent came Thursday as she received the inaugural Young Woman of the Year Award from the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women.
Vivians received the honor during Thursday’s “Empowering Women” Woman of the Year Luncheon in Jackson.
“I am incredibly grateful to the Mississippi Commission on the Status of Women for selecting me to receive the Young Woman of the Year Award,” Vivians said. “There are so many outstanding young women in this state, so to be the first recipient of this award is such an honor.”
The honor comes a day after the Gillom Trophy winner, presented to the state’s top women’s basketball player, was invited to USA Basketball’s Pan American Games and World University Games Team Trials.
Vivians was selected for the inaugural Young Woman of the Year Award for the impact she made on and off the court in her first season at Mississippi State.
Vivians is typically one of the last players off the court following games, taking time to sign autographs and take pictures with everyone who asks.
She also immediately became a fan favorite for her standout play on the court, earning Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and Second Team All-SEC accolades after averaging 14.9 ppg, the most by an SEC rookie and the third-highest average regardless of class.
The Carthage, Miss., native was also the top freshman and seventh overall with a 13.8 scoring clip in SEC games. She averaged 17.5 ppg against ranked opponents, including an MSU freshman-record 39 points against Kentucky that tied for the most points by a freshman in the nation this season.
An SEC All-Freshman Team selection, Vivians finished the year ninth in the SEC in field goal percentage (36.8 percent), third in 3-pointers made (2.0) and percentage (32.7 percent) and seventh in free-throw percentage (74.6 percent).
Vivians’ inaugural collegiate season included Preseason WNIT MVP honors, Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic All-Tournament Team accolades, four SEC Freshman of the Week nods and MSU’s first USBWA National Freshman of the Week award.