SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco junior Claudia Price has been named a recipient of the 2015 Academic Momentum Award from the Scholar Baller program, in conjunction with the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS).

"I'm so proud of Claudia!" exclaimed USF head coach Jennifer Azzi. "She works so hard in the classroom and on the court, and she strives for excellence in all that she does. This is another amazing honor for our program. As a top APR program, we take a lot of pride in our academic achievement, and this is a well-deserved recognition for Claudia!"

Top nominations were judged on academic improvement and the impact each student-athlete's academic performance had on his or her classmates, teammates, academic advisors, and professors. A total of 28 award recipients from NCAS partner schools were selected for the Academic Momentum Award First Team, 16 recipients were chosen for second team honors, and nine recipients were selected to the third team.

Price, hailing from Mesquite, Texas, and majoring in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is one of six women's basketball players to earn the first-team distinction. Along with Price, two other West Coast Conference student-athletes made the first team – Gonzaga duo Sam Brown (baseball) and Christie Tombari (soccer).

"Although most students may have trouble focusing on academics when their sport has increased, Claudia has been able to manage her time and study habits extremely well, which lead to the increase in her GPA," noted Director of Academic Support Joo Ae Lippe-Klein in her nomination letter to Scholar Baller. "When in study hall she is always focused on the work that not only needs to get done, but also wanting to get it done to the best of her ability.  Claudia is genuinely interested in learning the material and not just focused on getting a grade for an exam.

"Upon arriving in my position as the Director of Academic Support for the basketball programs, Claudia stood out to me because of the initiative she took to meet to discuss her classes, her interests and her strong desire to work on and improve her resume.  Claudia has a great work ethic, and as she comes close to the end of her student-athlete career she has begun to put the groundwork to get to her dream job of working for Nike."

Price is not only improving her skills in the classroom, but also becoming a fierce competitor on the court. The Dons are coming off their best season in nearly two decades after making the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 1997. Price led the team in shooting percentage hitting 53.1 percent of her attempts from the floor while doubling her time on the court becoming a major contributor in the success of the 21-win squad.

Price will return for her senior season on the Hilltop alongside four other seniors – Hashima Carothers, Raushan Gultekin, Rachel Howard and Kalyn Simon.

About Scholar Baller
Established in 1995, the Scholar Baller® movement evolved in response to concerns that the student-athlete's athletics role increasingly superseded the student role. In order to address this issue, the founding members of Scholar Baller® developed a groundbreaking program to bridge the gap between education and sport utilizing student-athletes' passion for entertainment and athletics. As a result, the Scholar Baller® program has produced unprecedented outcomes in student retention and academic achievement.

About the National Consortium for Academics and Sports
The NCAS is an ever-growing organization of colleges and universities that provides opportunities for current and former student-athletes to continue their pursuit of higher education, while working in the community with children to address social issues. Established in 1985, the overall mission of the NCAS is "to create a better society by focusing on education attainment and using the power appeal of sport to positively affect social change."