USC’s Kiki Iriafen Named CSC Academic All-America Women’s Basketball Team Member of the Year

Kiki Iriafen - CSC Academic All-America® Women's Basketball Team Member of the Year

USC’s Kiki Iriafen Named CSC Academic All-America Women’s Basketball Team Member of the Year

April 16, 2025 | Women's Basketball

She’s the first Trojan to earn the top academic honor for women’s basketball and 49th USC student-athlete to earn First Team Academic All-America® accolades.

Just days after becoming USC's highest WNBA Draft pick since 1997, Trojan grad student Kiki Iriafen has had her off-court skill set recognized as well in being named the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for Division I, as honored by College Sports Communicators. The 6-3 power forward from Los Angeles has kept her cumulative GPAs over 3.5 while pursuing a graduate degree in entrepreneurship and innovation at USC, along with an undergraduate degree she earned from Stanford in design engineering.

Iriafen led the Trojans to the program's first regular-season conference title since 1994, their highest AP ranking since 1984 and an NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2024-25. She was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-America Team, in addition to being named to the AP and United States Basketball Writers Association All-America Third Teams.

Iriafen was also a unanimous selection to the 2025 All-Big Ten First Team. She finished the season with 12 double-doubles and averaged 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 49 percent from the floor. She ranked 15th in the nation with 4.1 offensive rebounds per game and 38th with 142 free throws made. Iriafen's other national honors include the Wade Watch List, Naismith Trophy Watch List, Wooden Award Watch List, and is a repeat finalist for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year award.

As the No. 4 overall pick by the Washington Mystics, Iriafen is USC's first top-10 WNBA Draft selection since Ebony Hoffman was No. 9 in 2004. She is the fourth overall first-round pick out of USC and highest since 1997 when Tina Thompson was No. 1 and Pam McGee was No. 2.

She is now the 49th USC student-athlete to earn First Team Academic All-America® accolades and the first to be named a CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year.