United Athletic Conference

 

DENVER – Utah Valley redshirt sophomore basketball player Fardaws Aimaq and California Baptist senior basketball player Ane Olaeta are the 2020-21 Western Athletic Conference Joe Kearney Award winners. Named in honor of former WAC commissioner Joe Kearney, the awards are given annually to the top male and female student-athletes in the WAC.

 

Aimaq made the most of his first year in the WAC, earning WAC Men's Basketball Player of the Year and WAC Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year honors after helping lead Utah Valley to a share of the WAC regular-season title. The native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada was named Riley Wallace Player of the Year as the top transfer after beginning his collegiate career at Mercer University in Georgia. 

 

Standing 6-11, he led the nation in rebounding at 15.0 points per game, becoming the first player in 40 years to average 15 or more rebounds per game. He also averaged 13.9 points per game while shooting .485 from the field. In addition to being named First Team All-WAC, he was named to the WAC All-Defensive Team, WAC All-Newcomwer TEam, NACBA All-District Team and Lefty Driesell Defensive All-Amera Team.

 

"Fardaws is the epitome of what a student-athlete should do and be. He excels in the classroom and on the court. His teammates and coaches look to him as a leader and an example of the standard of excellence," said UVU Director of Athletics Dr. Jared Sumsion. "He had one of the most successful individual performances in UVU history and accomplished things that haven't ever been done at UVU or in the Western Athletic Conference."

 

Aimaq is the third Utah Valley student-athlete to earn the award, joining men's track and field athlete Michael McPherson (2014-15) and men's soccer player Paul Hoffmeister (2016-17). He is the eighth men's basketball player to be named Joe Kearney award winner.

 

Olaeta simply dominated on the hardwood as she led the Lancers to a 26-1 season, which included an undefeated WAC season, a WAC tournament title and a pair of wins in the WNIT. The WAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year led both the WAC and the nation in assists per game at 7.8 per game.

 

A native of Gernika-Lumo, Spain, she has started 84 of 88 games for the Lancers since arriving in California and recently graduated Magna Cum Laude with a 3.83 grade-point average. In addition to leading the nation in assists, she averaged 11.6 points per game and 2.2 steals per game.

 

"Ane Olaeta is an exceptional woman. She is a fierce competitor and has a great work ethic," said CBU head women's basketball coach Jarrod Olson. "Every day she sets the standard for intensity for everyone on our team—including the head coach."

 

Olaeta is the first California Baptist student-athlete to earn the prestigious honor and she is just the fourth women's basketball player to be recognized as the top female student-athlete in the WAC.