Texas women’s basketball senior Shay Holle was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team, the organization announced April 16th. Holle is the second player in Texas women’s basketball history to earn this honor, along with Jamie Carey, who did so 20 years ago with a degree in sports management. 

Established in 1952, the CSC Academic All-America Team is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success in collegiate sports, reserved for athletes who succeed on and off the court at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. 

In the 2023-24 season, there were 20,208 women’s basketball student-athletes competing at 1,323 institutions across NCAA Divisions I, II, III and the NAIA. Out of these athletes, only 0.3% of all NCAA and NAIA women’s basketball players earned the title of Academic All-American. 

Holle earned the title of Third Team Academic All-America with a GPA of 3.54/4.00. Earlier this season, the senior guard earned the Academic All-District title. 

Holle completed her undergraduate degree in finance in three years from the McCombs School of Business. She said she came to the Forty Acres with college credits from high school and attended summer school, putting her on a fast track to graduation. Holle said completing her degree early was a “challenging but awesome experience,” especially since she knew when to ask for help from UT resources. 

“(Graduating in three years) was definitely a load, but there’s so many resources here,” Holle said in a 2023 interview. “If you’re willing to ask for help and have a communication with (professors) and just let them know what’s going on, they’re usually really helpful.”

Along with her academic success, in the 2023-24 women’s basketball campaign, Holle played in all 38 games and started in 26 games for Texas, helping the Longhorns achieve a 33–5 record, their most wins in a season since the 1985-86 season. She also scored double figures in 13 games throughout her senior season. 

But Holle’s dream was to get into the business school at UT ever since her time at Westlake High School. She said while her parents love watching her play basketball and achieve feats such as 2024 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention and Big 12 All-Defensive, they are also proud of her McCombs degree. 

“Seeing me graduate and walk across the stage is probably pretty cool,” Holle said. 

Currently, Holle is pursuing a master’s degree in strategic communication from the Moody College of Communication. She announced on April 12 that she will be returning for a fifth season with the Longhorns, becoming the longest-tenured Longhorn on the roster for the 2024-25 season.