University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Photo by: Caren Nicdao
Trio of Bruins Earn AP All-America Nods, Lauren Betts Included as Wade Trophy Finalist
March 18, 2026 | Women's Basketball
LOS ANGELES โ UCLA Women's Basketball is well-represented on the Associated Press All-America teams released on Wednesday, March 18.
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Senior Lauren Betts repeats as a First Team All-America member after headlining the preseason All-America honorees. The center was joined by UConn's Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes and Texas' Madison Booker. Lauren Betts adds to her long list of career accomplishments; she was the first Bruin to be named First Team All-America in 2025 and becomes the only UCLA student-athlete to earn the accolade in consecutive seasons.
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Senior Kiki Rice earned the first outright All-America selection after being named AP Third Team All-America for the 2025-26 season. Rice is UCLA's second-leading scorer (15.3 PPG) and rebounder (6.0 RPG) and was named Most Outstanding Player for the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament after helping lead the Bruins to back-to-back conference tournament titles. The point guard was WBCA and AP All-America Honorable Mention in 2024-25.
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Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens also received votes, earning her an Honorable Mention nod for her time with the Bruins. She's one of three women's basketball players in the 50-40-90 club; Kneepkens boasts .518/.442/.952 shooting splits as one of the nation's most efficient scorers.
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Lauren Betts was also named one of four finalists for the 2026 Wade Trophy, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today. The prestigious award is presented by the WBCA each year to the best player in college women's basketball.
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In addition to the Wade Trophy finalists, the WBCA released its list of 48 finalists for this WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America team. Rice and Betts both earned spots as finalists; the 10-member All-America team will be announced April 2.
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Senior Lauren Betts repeats as a First Team All-America member after headlining the preseason All-America honorees. The center was joined by UConn's Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes and Texas' Madison Booker. Lauren Betts adds to her long list of career accomplishments; she was the first Bruin to be named First Team All-America in 2025 and becomes the only UCLA student-athlete to earn the accolade in consecutive seasons.
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Senior Kiki Rice earned the first outright All-America selection after being named AP Third Team All-America for the 2025-26 season. Rice is UCLA's second-leading scorer (15.3 PPG) and rebounder (6.0 RPG) and was named Most Outstanding Player for the 2026 Allstate Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament after helping lead the Bruins to back-to-back conference tournament titles. The point guard was WBCA and AP All-America Honorable Mention in 2024-25.
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Graduate guard Gianna Kneepkens also received votes, earning her an Honorable Mention nod for her time with the Bruins. She's one of three women's basketball players in the 50-40-90 club; Kneepkens boasts .518/.442/.952 shooting splits as one of the nation's most efficient scorers.
ย
Lauren Betts was also named one of four finalists for the 2026 Wade Trophy, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today. The prestigious award is presented by the WBCA each year to the best player in college women's basketball.
ย
In addition to the Wade Trophy finalists, the WBCA released its list of 48 finalists for this WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America team. Rice and Betts both earned spots as finalists; the 10-member All-America team will be announced April 2.
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Players Mentioned
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