CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Notre Dame graduate student Olivia Miles has been named the ACC’s Kay Yow Scholar Athlete of the Year, the conference announced on Wednesday. The honor is given to a top women’s basketball player in the ACC who excels both academically and athletically. The honor is based on 60 percent academic achievement and 40 percent athletic accomplishment.
Miles earned an undergraduate degree last spring in political science, just 3.5 years after enrolling at Notre Dame as the program’s first early enrollee. In her graduate year of play this season, Miles is pursuing a degree in nonprofit management.
Prior to this season, Miles was a member of the All-ACC Academic Team in both 2021-22 and 2022-23 and was on the ACC Academic Honor Roll last year.
On the court, Miles is one of the nation’s top guards and was named to the All-ACC First Team on Tuesday. The floor general is averaging 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. She is one of four players nationally averaging 16, 6 and 5. The New Jersey native leads the ACC in assists per game (14th nationally) and ranks ninth in the conference in scoring. She is shooting 50.9 percent from the floor (eighth in the ACC) and 41.6 percent from deep (third in the ACC). Miles is one of two ACC guards shooting 50 and 40 this season.
Additionally, Miles leads the nation with three triple-doubles this season and became the first player in ACC history with back-to-back triple-doubles (Loyola and Virginia). Her 20-point triple-double in Notre Dame’s opener against Mercyhurst came on the heels of a year off while rehabbing a torn ACL, making her the first player in NBA, WNBA or college basketball history to sit out for a year due to injury and post a 20-point triple-double in their first game back.
Miles and the No. 6 Irish will be back in action on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, N.C. The ESPN2 game will tip off at 5 p.m.