DAVIS, Calif. — A force in the paint at both ends of the court since joining the UC Davis women's basketball program, junior
Sage Stobbart has been recognized as one of 15 Division I student-athletes across the country named to the Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year Watch List as announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club on Tuesday morning.
"It's been exciting to see Sage's growth over the past few years," Head Coach
Jennifer Gross said. "She has put in a tremendous amount of work and has developed into an elite defender who is able to change the game with her versatility.
"She has the size and strength to protect the rim along with the quickness to guard smaller players on the perimeter. She never shies away from a challenge and uses her superb communication skills to help our team execute defensive game plans. Best of all, Sage is an incredible teammate and has become a great leader in our program."
The environmental science and management major from North Vancouver, B.C., is one of only four student-athletes from outside a "Power Five" conference to be named to the list along with UConn's Olivia Nelson-Ododa, BYU's Sara Hamson, and Rice's Nancy Mulkey.
The remainder of the list features three players each from the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 conferences, and one each from the ACC and Pacific-12 conferences. Past winners of the award include Teaira McCowan of Mississippi State (2018), Kristine Anigwe of California (2019), and DiDi Richards of Baylor (2020).
A highly-touted prospect out of Seycove Secondary HS, Stobbart has appeared in all 64 games for the Aggies following a redshirt season in 2017-18, playing a key role in each of UC Davis' last two Big West Conference titles and an NCAA Tournament run in 2020.
A two-time Big West Conference All-Academic Team honoree, Stobbart has picked up right where she left off as a sophomore during a COVID-impacted junior season in 2020-21, blocking 12 shots in three games to lead the nation in blocks per game (4.0 bpg) while averaging nearly a double-double at 15.0 ppg and 8.3 rpg. As of Jan. 25, she is shooting .486 from the field and .438 (7-for-16) from three-point range.
Aside from her nation-leading blocks average, Stobbart enters the week ranked among the top 100 players nationally in three-point percentage (No. 36) and three-pointers per game (No. 79), while standing No. 102 in field goal percentage and No. 108 in rebounds per game.
Stobbart blossomed as a sophomore, ranking fourth on the team in scoring (7.8 ppg) and second in rebounding (6.8 rpg), while blocking a total of 39 shots — a total that ranked 10th on the program's single-season list — and leading the Big West Conference at 1.34 blocks per game. Her overall total included a career-high seven blocks against UC Irvine on Feb 8, 2020, that tied a school single-game record established in 2001 and matched a decade later.
Standing at 3-0 overall and 2-0 in Big West play, the four-time defending league champion Aggies hit the road for the first time this season, heading down the coast for back-to-back games at UC Santa Barbara at The Thunderdome. Both Friday (Jan. 29) and Saturday's (Jan. 30) games will tip-off at 4 p.m. and streamed live on ESPN3.
2021 NAISMITH WOMEN'S DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WATCH LIST
(in alphabetical order)
Aliyah Boston, So., F, South Carolina
Veronica Burton, Jr., G, Northwestern
Kate Cain, Sr., C, Nebraska
Charli Collier, Jr., F/C, Texas
Elissa Cunane, Jr., C, NC State
Arella Guirantes, Sr., G, Rutgers
Sara Hamson, Sr., C, BYU
N'dea Jones, Sr., F, Texas A&M
Natasha Mack, Sr., F, Oklahoma State
Aari McDonald, Sr., G, Arizona
Nancy Mulkey, Sr., C, Rice
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jr., F, UConn
Chasity Patterson, Sr., G, Kentucky
DiDi Richards, Sr., G, Baylor
Sage Stobbart, Jr, P, UC Davis
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Over 700 student-athletes across 25 intercollegiate athletics teams, following the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
Centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe and the Napa Valley, UC Davis is known nationwide as a leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, ranks annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
