Tuukkanen Named Atlantic 10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year

CINCINNATI --- Former Xavier basketball standout Taru Tuukkanen was named Atlantic 10 Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Tuesday. Tuukkanen, a Verizon Academic All-America Third Team member, graduated from Xavier in May with a 3.56 GPA while earning a degree in Sports Management.

Tuukkanen led Xavier in scoring and rebounding this past year for the third time in her career. She averaged 19.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and she was the only player in the Atlantic 10 to rank in the top five in both categories. She established Xavier records this season for points (648), field goals (259) and rebounds (287) while leading XU to a 31-3 record. The Musketeers won their second straight Atlantic 10 Tournament title this past season and made it to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight.

A 6-foot-3 center from Helsinki, Finland, Tuukkanen was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team this season and was named to the A-10 All-Tournament Team. She was also named to the NCAA Tournament Mideast Region Team. In addition, Tuukkanen was a Kodak All-America Finalist and an Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention selection.

She ended her career with a school record 103 career blocks. She is second all-time at Xavier with 1,785 career points and third all-time with 857 career rebounds. Tuukkanen tallied 27 career double-doubles.

Tuukkanen, a fourth-round draft pick by the WNBA New York Liberty, is currently living in Clifton while training for the European basketball season.

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