Tech Takes National Club Basketball Title

A strong squad of Yellow Jacket women have brought home another national championship trophy to Georgia Tech.

Each season, Georgia Tech women’s club basketball starts with a series of tournaments across the Southeast. If a team racks up enough victories, they will qualify for the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association’s (NIRSA) National Championships.

The Georgia Tech women swarmed the courts at two qualifying tournaments in Florida and Georgia, safely securing their spot in the 2019 NIRSA National Tournament. This year’s event was hosted by Wichita State University, pitting teams head-to-head in pool play before winners advance to a single-elimination bracket.

After blazing through their opening matchups over the University of Southern California and Gonzaga, the Jackets were a top-seeded team. They outplayed Connecticut and Wisconsin to reach the national championship game against UC-Davis.

There, the Jackets found themselves behind for much of the game, trailing by 4 at the half, and 7 with 15 minutes left in the game. But they clawed back. A rebound and fast break tied the game with two minutes to go. Following a UC-Davis missed shot, Georgia Tech called a timeout with 30 seconds remaining.

The coach drew up a play for Georgia Tech graduate student Myra Lattimore to drive to the basket. She made the layup, drew a foul, and sank the free throw to put the Jackets up by 3 with just four seconds on the clock.

That play would seal the national championship and the trophy for the Jackets.

Senior Kate Delaney was named the national tournament’s most valuable player.

The women’s club team is coached by Olivia Watkins, a 2013 Georgia Tech graduate and former player herself. Watkins is currently a director in Tech’s Office of Government and Community Relations.