You already know that Jewell Loyd was Rookie of the Year. A member of the Seattle Storm, Loyd was chastised for leaving college early to follow her dream of playing in the WNBA and is already making a name for herself. Now she is one of the talented female athletes up for nomination for the honor of winning SCC Female Sports Star of the Year Award. Considering Loyd’s athletic abilities and fan support, she is a huge contender for the award.

Loyd was fourth in rebounding for the year. She made 3.5 per game on average during the season. For the year, she ended up with a 90.4 percent average, and only two players (including Storm legend Sue Bird) have managed to pull that off. She also was the leader in scoring among all first year players, averaging a whopping 10.5 points per game. As the number one draft pick in the WNBA, she fulfilled many people’s expectations regarding her skill on the court.

With Kobe Bryant as her mentor, it is no wonder that Jewell Loyd set her goals high. She was the NCAA Player of the Year, the first Storm player to win Rookie of the Year, and scored a career-high 21 points at Tulsa on June 28 this season. When she shot 14-for-14 from the line on August 30 against Washington, Loyd even broke a record in franchise history. She says, “For me to realize that I’m in the WNBA, I’m here everything is happening, the speed of the game. It was good for me to see that and asses myself in other ways. It really helped me grow since I’ve been here.”

Loyd’s competition for the award includes Mary Lou Mulflur, the nation’s leading women’s golf player; Kelsey Plum of Huskies basketball fame; Megan Rapinoe of the National Women’s Soccer League; Lianna Sybeldon of Huskies’ volleyball; and Special Olympics Summer World Games Swimming gold medal-winning Kamilah Williamson.

Every woman nominated for this award has played her heart out and demonstrated not only incredible skills in their sport, but also a love for their sport. They each serve as role models for young athletes growing up in America, showing what you can achieve when you set your goals high and go for your dreams.

Want to vote for Loyd? Click here and enter your email address to vote. Think another Storm player should have been nominated as well? Share the player(s) you think deserve a nomination in the comments below.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia