Washington Mystics center Lauren Betts has added another trophy to her name in 2026. The 22-year-old won the ESPY for Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports. She received the award from Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo and rapper French Montana.
Betts wore a long, sparkling black dress for the event. She posted a video in the black dress on her Instagram, where she credited her stylist Katie Qian and makeup artist Keanda Vivar.
The same award in the men’s category went to Fernando Mendoza, the Las Vegas Raiders quarterback, who was also the No. 1 pick at the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza won the Heisman Trophy last season and the national championship with the Indiana Hoosiers.
Similarly, Lauren Betts, with the UCLA Bruins, won the 2026 NCAA title and was also the NCAA Tournament MOP. She averaged over 17 points and eight rebounds in her last collegiate season for the Bruins. Betts became the first UCLA Bruin to ever win the ESPY for Best College Athlete.
The Bruins won the 2026 NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament, their first in the NCAA era, by defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks. From the beginning of the season, the Gamecocks were considered one of the favorites to lift the trophy.
However, when the two teams met in the final, it wasn’t even a competition as the Bruins registered a blowout 79-51 win to claim their first NCAA women’s basketball championship.
Lauren Betts Speaks Out on Mental Health Issues at ESPYs
During her ESPY acceptance speech, Lauren Betts thanked her family, friends, coaches, and teammates for playing huge roles in her journey. She then went on to shed light on the topic of mental health.
“I feel like I have the opportunity with this platform that I have to speak on something that is really important to me,” she said. “So, for a lot of people who know me, they know everything about my mental health journey.”
“I just want people to know, for people that know about my journey, is that protecting my peace is the one thing that I’ve been as fierce about with chasing my dreams. Your mental health is not separate from your success. It’s the foundation of everything that you do. The strongest people aren’t the ones who never struggle. They’re the ones who have the courage to let someone walk through their struggle with them.”
Betts received praise from fans online for speaking on a very important subject and highlighting its significance.
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