CHICAGO — For the fourth time, Chicago State freshman guard Aaliyah Collins has been selected as the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
Collins was also chosen as Freshman of the Week on November 22, November 29 and December 6 and is the first student-athlete in Chicago State history to win the award four times.
"It's a huge recognition, and it means a lot to me," Collins said. "But at the same time, I'm going to take these awards and use them as a drive. Why settle for four? Let's keep this going."
In three games this week, against Seattle U, UTRGV and Lamar, Collins averaged 19.0 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. The week kicked off with her first-career collegiate double-double, a 26-point and 10-rebound performance in a 64-57 win over Seattle U. The game served as Collins' homecoming — the former Washington State Player of the Year hails from Snohomish, Washington.
"I'm proud of Aaliyah and all that she's accomplishing," head coach Tiffany Sardin said. "I know Aaliyah doesn't take any of these accolades for granted, and she knows none of this is possible without the help of her teammates pushing to make her better each and every day. As I shared early on, we love having Aaliyah in our program and know she's a special player and young woman with lots of room to continue growing."
On the season, Collins leads the Cougars and ranks fourth in the WAC with 15.9 points per game, and her 2.7 steals per game are second-most in the conference and 20th in NCAA Division I.
Collins has reached double figures in 12 of her first 14 games at the collegiate level. The 26-point outburst in Seattle also marked her fifth game with at least 20 points.
On November 22, Collins dropped in 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting at Wisconsin, an overtime 71-63 win for the Cougars that served as the program's first win in two years. The Seattle U win was Chicago State's first WAC win since Jan. 2020.
Collins and the Cougars are off this week and return to the hardwood on Tuesday, Jan. 25, a noon start at the Jones Convocation Center against New Mexico State.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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