BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Emily Ward, a LSU graduate and National Champion, was named to the SEC Winter Academic Honor Roll, announced by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey on Wednesday.
Ward, a four-year player for the Tigers, came to LSU as a walk-on, but earned a scholarship going into her senior season. Ward played in 25 games and was a team captain throughout her senior year which with her cutting down the nets in Dallas as a NCAA Champion.
In December while LSU was playing in the Maui Classic, Ward graduated from the LSU Manship School with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication with a concentration in digital advertising while minoring in business.
Throughout her career, Ward has represented LSU with class and excellence off the court. For the past two seasons, Ward has represented LSU Women’s Basketball on the SEC Basketball Leadership Basketball Leadership Council. Last year the council meeting was virtual, and this year Ward travelled to Birmingham in September for a day of meetings at the SEC offices.
Ward was a member of numerous groups at LSU, including the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and with LSU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). She has also been LSU’s student-athlete advisory committee with Tiger Life, working to create an environment where all student-athletes have the opportunity to maximize their academic, athletic, personal, and social growth and improve their post-college quality of life.
“Emily has been a non-scholarship member of the women’s basketball team for the past 3 years and not once has she wavered in her commitment to both her sport and her academics,” said Carole Walker, a senior associate director at the Cox Communications Center for Student-Athletes who works with the women’s basketball program. “She is a leader, a very positive person and has always been the biggest fan of her own teammates despite not seeing much playing time in her first three years.
“All of Emily’s hard work has finally paid off and is now on a full athletic scholarship. Emily will graduate this December and start graduate school in the spring pursing a Master of Science in Leadership & Human Resource Development.”