SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Gonzaga forward Lauren Whittaker (Canterbury, New Zealand) has been named the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the week, as announced by the association on Tuesday.
Whittaker, a candidate for National Freshman of the Year honors, collected her fourth West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week award of the season on Monday. She was also named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Monday.
Whittaker averaged 19.7 points and 12.7 rebounds per game to go along with five steals and three blocks for the Zags in three games last week. She posted a pair of double-doubles with 19 points and a career-best 16 rebounds in last Friday’s victory at Missouri State. On Sunday, Whittaker recorded 16 points and 13 rebounds in the road win against UC Riverside. The freshman came close to a third double-double on the week, finishing with 24 points and nine rebounds against Arizona State last Tuesday, as the Bulldogs nearly handed the Sun Devils their first loss of the season.
The Gonzaga forward, who was recognized in November as a Kay Yow Servant Leader, is second in the nation in scoring among freshmen with an average of 19.5 points per game and a total of 254 points. She ranks third nationally in total rebounds (121) and seventh in rebounds per game (9.3) among freshmen. Whittaker’s five double-doubles are tied for the most among freshmen nationally and are a Gonzaga record for a freshman.
She has five 20-point games this season, highlighted by a 29-point performance against Colorado State last month. The 29 points is tied for the most by a West Coast Conference player this season (Santa Clara’s Sophie Glancey scored 29 vs. Grand Canyon). The point total is also the eighth-most by a freshman in a game in the country this season.
Last season, the West Coast Conference was recognized by the USBWA in its national weekly awards on two occasions, as Yvonne Ejim of Gonzaga and Alexis Mark of Portland were named the Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Week. Whittaker is the first USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week since Tess Heal of Santa Clara earned the honor on Dec. 20, 2022.
Gonzaga has won five of its last six games, finishing non-conference play with an 8-5 mark. All 12 West Coast Conference programs will begin conference play on Sunday, Dec. 28.
The USBWA honors the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week during the regular season, named in honor of the former Tennessee All-American. The USBWA will also award the Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year, which will be announced and presented at the USBWA’s annual awards event on site at the 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four in Phoenix.