(Story courtesy of Trinity University Athletics)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Trinity women's basketball senior Abby Holland has been awarded the $10,000 Jim McKay Scholarship by the NCAA.
The highly competitive award is presented to student-athletes who demonstrate achievement in sports communication or public relations. The scholarship is named for the late television sports journalist, Jim McKay, best known for hosting ABC's Wide World of Sports from from the early 1960s to the late 1990s. Only two scholarships are awarded annually, with student-athletes from all NCAA Divisions eligible. Last year, the recipients came from Division I schools Northwestern (Illinois) University and the University of Iowa.
"I am honored and humbled to receive the scholarship, because so many amazing people were being considered," said Holland, who will receive a bachelor's degree from Trinity this month. "I grew and learned so much from my time at Trinity, while playing basketball and receiving an education, and I had amazing coaches."
Holland is a communication major with a minor in sport management. She has qualified for Trinity's Dean's List and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Academic Honor Roll. Holland indicated she will work for Labatt Food Service in San Antonio, in the area of design. The Georgetown, Texas, resident has five years to decide on a graduate program and will weigh her options for future study.
On the basketball court, Holland earned two All-America accolades as a Trinity Tiger. The talented forward was elected to this season's D3hoops.com All-America Third Team, and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division III All-America Honorable Mention Team. Holland also was selected as the SCAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year, as well as making the All-SCAC First Team for the third consecutive season.
Holland made Trinity basketball history during the 2019-20 season. She became the second-leading all-time women's basketball scorer with 1,690 career points in her column. Trinity Athletic Hall of Fame member Terri Hailey (1977-1981) is the leading all-time scorer with 1,806 points.
Holland paced the Tigers during the season with 18.7 points per game (524 total), while posting a rebound average of 6.6 boards (186 total). She also connected on 52.1% of her shots and was ranked seventh in the NCAA Division III in field goals made with a 219.0 total.
The Tigers, led by eighth-year Head Coach Cameron Hill, won the SCAC regular-season title with a 17-1 record, and received a bye to the Semifinals of the conference tournament. Coach Hill was elected the SCAC Co-Coach of the Year at the tournament held in Kerrville, Texas, at Schreiner University.
Trinity beat Texas Lutheran University in the Semifinals and was upset by Austin (Texas) College in the Championship game. The Tigers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs and hosted the first two rounds. The University of Texas at Dallas beat Trinity in the opening round, and the Tigers finished the season with a 23-5 record. The Tigers received a #21 national ranking from D3hoops.com.
