Gonzaga’s Jill Townsend named first-team Senior CLASS Award All-American

Gonzaga senior guard Jill Townsend was named Thursday to the Senior CLASS Award All-America first team, the first Zag to win that honor.

Townsend, the West Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2019-20, is a two-time first-team All-WCC selection.

This year, she was named All-America honorable mention by the Associated Press.

A native of Okanogan, Washington, Townsend led the Zags in scoring at 13.5 points per game while shooting 49.6% from the floor and 38.8% from long range.

Townsend had four double-doubles during the season and on Jan. 24 became the 24th player in program history to score 1,000 points in her career.

To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The award is chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I women’s basketball coaches, national basketball media and fans.

Townsend has excelled in the classroom working toward her bachelor’s in biology and has spent nearly 60 hours assisting the Spokane community.

Other first-team members are Rennia Davis, Tennessee; Dana Evans, Louisville; Blanca Milan, Maine; and Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA. The second team was Arella Guirantes, Rutgers; Nancy Mulkey, Rice; Ilmar’l Thomas, Cincinnati; Unique Thompson, Auburn; and Mariah White, Cleveland State.