Nikki Velez Awarded First Team All-American Honor By USCAA
UNIONTOWN, Pa. – Penn State Brandywine freshman Nikki Velez (Gloucester, N.J./Gloucester City) was selected as a first team all-American by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association at its annual end-of-year banquet on Tuesday night.
Velez, who was also named First Team All-PSUAC and PSUAC Newcomer of the Year last week, was one-of-two women's Division II freshmen to earn first team accolades.
The 11th-leading scorer nationally, Velez is averaging 17.3 points per game in 28 contests this winter. She quickly became one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the USCAA as she connected on 73 triples, the fourth-highest total in the country.
Velez averaged 2.6 made three-pointers per game and has knocked down at least one during each of the team's last 25 games entering this week's USCAA Tournament. She matched a season high with five trifectas during Brandywine's 82-70 PSUAC semifinal victory over Penn State Lehigh Valley on Feb. 18 and knocked down 12 threes overall during the three-game tournament.
In addition to her shooting prowess, Velez also stands sixth in the USCAA with 88 steals. She also averages 3.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
Brandywine (21-7) begins its USCAA Tournament run as the No. 3 seed against sixth-seeded Villa Maria on Thursday at 7:30 pm.
