February 19, 2008
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University women’s basketball player Natalie Gamez was named second team ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Director’s of America Academic All-District for her play on the court and her work in the classroom, it was announced on Thursday.
Gamez (Jr., San Antonio) was one of 11 players in all of NCAA Division II to receive second team honors. Only five players were named to the first team. To qualify for the honor student-athletes must play in at least one-half of the teams games and have a minimum 3.20 grade point average.
While helping to lead the Rattlers to first place in the Heartland Conference this season, Gamez is averaging 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. She is shooting 46.2 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from three-point range and 81.2 percent from the free throw line this season. She has scored in double figures in 18 of 20 games, including nine games with 20 or more points. Gamez has four double-doubles this season and tied a school record with a career-high 18 rebounds against Oklahoma Panhandle State University last week.
Off the court she is majoring in English and has a 3.45 GPA. She is an Honor Roll student and was named to the Heartland Conference President’s Honor Roll for the 2006-07 academic year.
St. Mary’s is currently on a 16-game win streak. That streak is the second longest in school history, behind only the 19-game win streak of the 2001-02 team. The Rattlers are 17-4 overall and 8-0 in Heartland Conference play. St. Mary’s returns to action tonight when they travel to Goodwell, Okla., to face Oklahoma Panhandle State University in a Heartland Conference matchup at 5:30 p.m. The Rattlers next home game will be on Saturday, February 23, when they host cross-town rival the University of the Incarnate Word in a game that will likely decide the Heartland Conference regular season crown.