MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five members of the West Virginia University women's basketball team were named to the 2021 Academic All-Big 12 teams, the Big 12 Conference announced Thursday.
 
Redshirt senior guard Kysre Gondrezick, junior forward Kari Niblack, junior guard Madisen Smith and sophomore guard Kirsten Deans were all named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, while senior center Blessing Ejiofor was named to the second team.
 
Gondrezick, Deans and Ejiofor are all making their first appearance on the Academic All-Big 12 team, while Niblack has been named to the first team for the second consecutive year. Smith's first-team selection comes after being honored on the second team a year ago.
 
This year's five selections are the third-most in the Big 12. Last year's six selections to the Academic All-Big 12 team tied for the most Academic All-Big 12 selections for the Mountaineers in program history.
 
First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA while the second-team selections hold a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA. To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 20 percent of their team's scheduled contests.
 
Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.