NEW YORK -- Former UCLA women's basketball star Lauren Betts became the sixth Bruin to win the prestigious Honda Cup, the most of any school.
The Honda Cup, which is given annually to the top female college athlete in the country, was celebrating its 50th anniversary Monday. To be nominated, a student-athlete must have won the Honda Sports Award in one of the 12 NCAA-sanctioned women's sports.
Betts won the award for basketball after leading UCLA to its first NCAA women's national championship in April. She also took home Defensive Player of the Year honors before she was drafted by the Washington Mystics with the No. 4 pick.
Betts is the second UCLA basketball player to win the Honda Cup, joining Ann Meyers in 1978. Jackie Joyner (track & field), Lisa Fernandez (softball), Natasha Watley (softball) and Rachel Garcia (softball) also won the award as UCLA alums. Garcia won the award twice, in 2019 and 2021.
"That's crazy when you say that," Betts said of UCLA's success winning the award. "I think I'm representing something bigger than myself."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
