UConn signee Breanna Stewart has been named the USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year.

The 6-foot-4 senior at Cicero-North Syracuse, N.Y. was a member of the Under-19 national team as well as the Pan Am Games squad.

"It is exciting because this is a pretty big award," Stewart said in a statement. "I'm just honored to be thought of as USA Basketball's Female Athlete of the Year."
Jen Rizzotti, who coached Stewart on the U-19 squad said "Breanna Stewart ranks up with Maya Moore as one of the most competitive young players that I've ever seen,. She has the ability to tremendously impact the game on both ends of the floor. She works constantly to improve all aspects of her game, and I look forward to watching her growth as she develops into an even more complete player. Her desire to win and compete on every possession raised the level of intensity for our team and was crucial to our winning the gold medal."

USA Basketball will nominate Stewart for the U.S. Olympic Committee's 2011 SportsWoman of the Year, which will be announced later this year