Thornton Tabbed AP Honorable-Mention All-American
UTEP senior Kayla Thornton has been recognized as an Associated Press Honorable-Mention All-America. Thornton becomes the third Miner in program history to earn All-America accolades, joining Sharon Jackson (1984, American Woman Sports Federation) & Natasha Lacy (2008, AP Honorable-Mention).
Her efforts have helped propel the Miners (28-7) into the WNIT Final Four, with UTEP set to play host to Summit League champion South Dakota State (26-9) at 7 p.m. MDT at the Don Haskins Center Wednesday.
Thornton has enjoyed a monster season and is on track to become the first UTEP player to finish the year averaging a double-double (19.8 points per game, 10.1 rebounds per contest.). She has also set single-season school records for consecutive double-digit scoring contests (31), double-doubles (18), total points (633) and rebounds (324).
The stellar senior season has resulted in her also becoming the program career standard bearer for double-doubles (39), field goals (591) and attempts (1351), free throws (380) and attempts (518), points (1649) and rebounds (1012).
More than anything else, Thornton and the rest of the senior class has been winners. UTEP has put together three straight 20+ win seasons for the first time in program history while forging a mark of 95-35.
