Gonzaga's Lauren Whittaker earns WCC award recognition for dominant freshman season

Forward Lauren Whittaker is having arguably the best freshman season in Gonzaga basketball history, breaking program and conference records seemingly on a daily basis.

The West Coast Conference recognized her excellence on Tuesday, giving the New Zealand native both the WCC Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year awards - making her the first Gonzaga, and second WCC, player to win both in the same season. Sonya Carter from U.S. International - an affiliate member of the conference - won both back in 1986.

Whittaker becomes the fourth straight Zag to win WCC Player of the Year and second straight to win Freshman of the Year. Yvonne Ejim won Player of the Year in 2024 and 2025, while Kaylynne Truong won in 2023. Sophomore Allie Turner was named Freshman of the Year in 2025.

The 6'3 forward averaged 19.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting 60.9% on twos, 36.6% from three, and 80.6% from the free throw line. She led the conference in points, rebounds, field goal percentage (55.8%), and double-doubles, with her 17 total ranking 12th in the country.

Whittaker winning Freshman of the Year was a given after she secured a record 13 WCC Freshman of the Week awards during the season. She is a candidate for the national freshman of the year award, earning the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Week once during the regular season. She ranks first in the country among freshman in field goal percentage and double-doubles, second in points per game and field goals made per game, and third in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game.

Gonzaga Bulldogs women's basketball. | Photo by Lane Mathews

Whittaker was also named to the All-WCC First Team alongside sophomore Allie Turner, who earns first team honors for a second straight year after averaging 14.4 points and 3.4 assists while shooting a league-leading 45.6% from three and a ridiculous 96.1% (73-76) from the free throw line.

Freshman Jaiden Haile was also honored as the Sixth Woman of the Year, and was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team alongside Whittaker.

Haile played all 31 games for Gonzaga, averaging 6.8 points and 6.2 rebounds in 18.5 minutes while shooting 53.5% from the field. She becomes the fourth Gonzaga player to earn Sixth Woman of the Year honors after Maud Huijbens (2024), Ejim (2022) and Melody Kempton (2021).

LMU's Aarika Hughes was named Coach of the Year after leading the Lions to an improbable first place finish, while Oregon State's Kennedie Shuler was named Defensive Player of the Year and LMU's Jess Lawson earned Newcomer of the Year.

Gonzaga, LMU, Oregon State, and Santa Clara each had two players named First Team All-Conference, while the Zags were the only program with two players on the All-Freshman Team.

Coach Lisa Fortier's team earned the No. 2 seed in the WCC Tournament and will play on Monday, March 9 at 2:30 PM in a semifinal matchup against the winner between No. 3 Santa Clara and one of No. 6 Pacific, No. 7 San Francisco, No. 10 Saint Mary's, or No. 11 San Diego.