Shook, Jones Make the Cut -- Back to campus for some -- Leon, Forrest All-Americans -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NEW YORK LIBERTY ANNOUNCES FINAL ROSTER

University of Louisville WBB greats Jazmine Jones and Kylee Shook are in the bigs. 

The New York Liberty announced their 12-player roster... along with the other WNBA franchises yesterday...and Jones and Shook are part of that roster, along with another former Cardinal great, Asia Durr. 

Head Liberty coach Walt Hopkins has a squad that will include six rookies, five former ACC players, three former UConn Huskies and the #1 WNBA draft pick -- Sabrina Ionescu. 

The WNBA has not come out yet with a starting date yet for team training camps, preseason games nor the regular season start. 

There is more good news for Louisville women's basketball fans. Angel McCoughtry is on the Las Vegas Aces 12-player roster and Myisha Hines-Allen is named on the Washington Mystics roster. 

The complete NY Liberty roster is listed below by player, position and former college: 



Rebecca Allen -- guard -- Australia
Layshia Clarendon -- guard -- University of California
Asia Durr -- guard -- Louisville
Sabrina Ionescu -- guard -- Oregon
Jazmine Jones -- guard -- Louisville
Kia Nurse -- guard -- UConn
Leanna Odom -- forward -- Duke
Kylee Shook -- forward -- Louisville
Kiah Stokes -- center -- UConn 
Megan Walker -- forward -- forward
Jocelyn Willoughby -- forward -- Virginia
Amanda Zahui B -- center -- Minnesota 


BACK TO CAMPUS TODAY FOR SOME

Across the NCAA Collegiate landscape today, a return to campus for certain student-athletes. At Louisville, Vince Tyra announced the proposed return of 30 football student-athletes today and 15 basketball student athletes. 

The first week will be one of instruction for the returnees. Safety, hygiene, social distancing and other important factors involved in staying free from the Coronavirus are on the agenda for those return. This is Phase I of the four phase return of student-athletes to the Cardinal Belknap campus.The return is voluntary. 

We have a request out to see just which UofL WBB student-athletes will show up today. To that point, we've requested an interview with Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz about which of his players will participate in the first group of instructions and open gyms (which is tentatively scheduled to occur in early June). We'll run that requested interview here if we get a confirmation.   

Just guessing here, but we probably won't see in the first group Norika Konno, due to the travel requirements and such from Japan.

Hailey Van Lith is finishing up classes and has yet to go through graduation ceremonies in Washington. Merrisah Russell is coming in from Canada, so there might be a delay there as well. 

Other later arrivals could include Kianna Smith and Ramani Parker, who both live in California. All this is purely speculation, though, and we've sent our Jared Anderson out to Louisville International Airport with a camera to park outside the arrival terminal and...

 --- nah, we're just kidding here about Jared -- we'll know when we know. 


GABRIELLE LEON AND MAKENLI FORREST ALL-AMERICANS

The University of Louisville’s Gabriela Leon and Makenli Forrest have been named 2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field All-Americans as announced by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) today.

Both earned the honor after qualifying for the 2020 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships which were slated to be held March 13-14, but were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out the complete release from the USTFCCCA here http://www.ustfccca.org/2020/05/featured/2020-ncaa-division-i-indoor-track-field-all-america

Forrest, a junior from Ellenwood, Ga., was one of just 16 athletes that qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championship in the weight throw.  Her throw of 22.11m/72’06” at the Tyson Invitational ranked 11^th in the nation and she never finished out of the top four during the 2020 indoor season. This marks the third All-America accolade for Forrest, who earned first team honors after posting a runner-up finish in the hammer throw at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championship. As a freshman she earned second team Indoor All-America honors after a 15^th place finish in the weight throw.

Leon (Grand Rapids, Mich.) set a school record mark of 4.40m/14’05” in the pole vault at the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships and earned a second place finish while picking up first-team All-ACC honors for the second straight season. The junior entered the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championship ranked 11^th in the nation. As a freshman, she earned second team Outdoor All-America honors in pole vault.

Gabriela Leon – Pole Vault – USTFCCCA Indoor Track & Field All-American

Makenli Forrest – weight throw - USTFCCCA Indoor Track & Field All-American

Have a wonderful Wednesday!


paulie
xxxxx