Drew Edelman, a Master’s Degree candidate in the Department of Education at the Gevirtz School, was named one of two Golden Eagle Ring winners by UC Santa Barbara Athletics at the 30th Annual Golden Eagle Awards Banquet held at Fess Parker’s Doubletree on May 22. Not only did Edelman have the highest GPA of any athlete-scholar in the UCSB Women’s Basketball team, but she also had the highest GPA of any UCSB women athlete with a 3.92.
One of the most anticipated nights for UCSB Athletics is the coveted Golden Eagle awards, which highlight the strongest academically. The annual event is made possible by the generous support of longtime civic leaders and Gaucho donors Peter and Gerd Jordano (Pacific Beverage). The Golden Eagle honors the student-athlete from each program who has the highest cumulative grade point average (3.25 minimum) and exhibits citizenship and integrity.
Earlier this year Edelman was named to the 2017 Big West All-Conference second team. Edelman finished the regular season with a Big West-leading .613 field goal percentage, good for second all-time in single-season program history to Mekia Valentine's 2010-11 mark of .620. Her team-leading seven double-doubles were good for fourth in the conference. Edelman was also UCSB’s only double-digit scorer for the year, ending the regular season with team-highs in scoring (11.3 ppg), rebounding (7.4 rpg), field goals (141), and blocks (8).