Marquette University Athletics
Lott and Van Kleunen Announce Plans for Next Year
4/2/2021 4:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Both players earned All-BIG EAST honors in 2020-21
MILWAUKEE - Marquette University women's basketball senior guard Selena Lott has declared for the 2021 WNBA Draft while redshirt senior Lauren Van Kleunen will be returning to MU for her sixth season, they announced this week.
The BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Lott was also selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team. The Troy, N.Y., native led the Golden Eagles in points (14.7), assists (5.2), defensive rebounds (4.2), steals (2.1) and blocked shots (0.8). She scored in double figures 17 times, had 15 games with five-or-more assists and tallied four double-doubles during her senior season. Lott posted two double figure rebound games and had two-or-more steals on 12 different occasions in 2020-21. The all-around wing also took home the first BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award in program history. She also earns her second career yearly honor from the conference after making the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2019-20.
Lott is looking to be the fourth MU player in program history to be drafted. Natisha Hiedeman ('19) was selected as the 18th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, but was later traded to the Connecticut Sun. Hiedeman joined Abbie Willenborg (2000, Houston Comets) and Angel Robinson (2011, New York Liberty) as the only Golden Eagles to be drafted by the WNBA. Her selection at 18th overall was the highest pick in program history as well as the highest pick in the BIG EAST since conference realignment.Â
The 2021 WNBA Draft is set for Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The draft has three rounds with 12 picks per round.
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A Mason, Ohio native, Van Kleunen earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors after a stellar fifth season in the Blue & Gold. She will be taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted all student-athletes due to COVID-19. LVK ranked second on the team in scoring (13.2), third in rebounding (5.8) and second in steals (1.0), blocked shots (0.5) and field goal percentage (.514). She reached double figures in scoring a team-best 18 times this season, including eight of MU's last nine games. LVK also had four 20-plus point games this season, which was good for second on the team.
"Lauren embodies what it truly means to be an elite level student-athlete," Duffy said. "Her commitment to our program is inspiring to everyone who meets her. We cannot wait to welcome Lauren and entire the Van Kleunen family back to the Al [McGuire Center] for one more season!"
LVK will be one of four returning starters from the 2020-21 team, joining junior Chloe Marotta (6.8 ppg.) and sophomores Camryn Taylor (12.0 ppg.) and Jordan King (9.0 ppg.).
The Golden Eagles are 43-15 (.741) overall and 27-9 (.750) in BIG EAST play in the first two years of the Coach Duffy era. As a program, Marquette has made four straight NCAA tournaments and five straight BIG EAST Conference Tournament title games.
Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).
The BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Lott was also selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team. The Troy, N.Y., native led the Golden Eagles in points (14.7), assists (5.2), defensive rebounds (4.2), steals (2.1) and blocked shots (0.8). She scored in double figures 17 times, had 15 games with five-or-more assists and tallied four double-doubles during her senior season. Lott posted two double figure rebound games and had two-or-more steals on 12 different occasions in 2020-21. The all-around wing also took home the first BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award in program history. She also earns her second career yearly honor from the conference after making the All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2019-20.
"Selena has truly made an impact over these last four years at Marquette," head coach Megan Duffy said. "Her growth both on and off the court has led to another great opportunity ahead in professional basketball. We cannot wait to see the next steps of her career and appreciate her commitment to making Marquette basketball special."Marquette senior guard Selena Lott has announced she will declare for the 2021 @WNBA Draft!
— Marquette WBB (@MarquetteWBB) April 2, 2021
Thank you for everything Selena!
Sincerely,
Marquette Nation 💙💛#muwbb pic.twitter.com/y64mXmZKB6
Lott is looking to be the fourth MU player in program history to be drafted. Natisha Hiedeman ('19) was selected as the 18th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, but was later traded to the Connecticut Sun. Hiedeman joined Abbie Willenborg (2000, Houston Comets) and Angel Robinson (2011, New York Liberty) as the only Golden Eagles to be drafted by the WNBA. Her selection at 18th overall was the highest pick in program history as well as the highest pick in the BIG EAST since conference realignment.Â
The 2021 WNBA Draft is set for Thursday, April 15 at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The draft has three rounds with 12 picks per round.
Â
A Mason, Ohio native, Van Kleunen earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors after a stellar fifth season in the Blue & Gold. She will be taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA granted all student-athletes due to COVID-19. LVK ranked second on the team in scoring (13.2), third in rebounding (5.8) and second in steals (1.0), blocked shots (0.5) and field goal percentage (.514). She reached double figures in scoring a team-best 18 times this season, including eight of MU's last nine games. LVK also had four 20-plus point games this season, which was good for second on the team.
Along with her Second Team All-BIG EAST honor, Van Kleunen was also honored with the prestigious BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award. The only player in the conference to earn this award, LVK has been a standout student in the classroom and a leader in the Marquette community. She graduated with her undergraduate degree in marketing with a minor in public relations in May 2019 with a 3.2 cumulative GPA. LVK is currently pursuing her graduate degree of communication and media studies and a sport leadership certificate and will graduate with both in May 2021. She's worked as a MAGIS Mentor for the past three years and a team SAAC Rep for the past four years. Van Kleunen has been extremely active in community service opportunities including Al's Run, reading to kids at school, Race for the Cure and Hunger Task Force. She's also one of the team's prominent leaders in the social justice movement.🦅💙 pic.twitter.com/TBAURCWU7v
— Lauren Van Kleunen (@LaurenVK_42) April 1, 2021
"Lauren embodies what it truly means to be an elite level student-athlete," Duffy said. "Her commitment to our program is inspiring to everyone who meets her. We cannot wait to welcome Lauren and entire the Van Kleunen family back to the Al [McGuire Center] for one more season!"
LVK will be one of four returning starters from the 2020-21 team, joining junior Chloe Marotta (6.8 ppg.) and sophomores Camryn Taylor (12.0 ppg.) and Jordan King (9.0 ppg.).
The Golden Eagles are 43-15 (.741) overall and 27-9 (.750) in BIG EAST play in the first two years of the Coach Duffy era. As a program, Marquette has made four straight NCAA tournaments and five straight BIG EAST Conference Tournament title games.
Keep up with the Marquette women's basketball program through social media by following on Twitter (@MarquetteWBB) and Instagram (@marquettewbb) and `liking' on Facebook (/MarquetteWBB).
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