A trio of seniors are set to be recognized at West Virginia Women’s Basketball’s Senior Day on Saturday at the Coliseum against TCU.
Jayla Hemmingway, Tavy Diggs, and Lauren Fields are all fifth-year seniors that do not have any eligibility remaining. Let’s take a look at each of these players and their contributions to West Virginia.
“It has, it has all year (their veteran leadership and their experience helping the team this year). We don’t really have any freshmen, so we are a mature group, that’s been through this. They (the seniors being honored) all transferred in and have been here at different times,” WVU women’s basketball coach Mark Kellogg said. “I think they’ve all fit and they’ve all been really good for our program.”
Jayla Hemmingway
Jayla Hemmingway has been at West Virginia since 2020, playing her first season of college basketball in 2019-20 at Mississippi State. Across four seasons at West Virginia, Hemmingway has appeared in 111 games, starting 68 of them.
She has averaged 23.5 minutes per game, 6.3 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, and 1.1 assists per game during her time at West Virginia. Her best statistical season came in 2022-23 when she started every game and averaged 9.4 points per game.
“Jayla’s meant a lot and a lot of our toughness and identity has been wrapped up into Jayla. She’s been fantastic all year, in a little bit of a different role. Really really proud of her,” Kellogg said of Hemmingway.
This season, Hemmingway has been relegated to a bench piece, where she has come off the bench to average 20.6 minutes per game and 6.0 points per game.
Off the court, Hemmingway is a business administration major. She has been named to both the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Academic All-Big 12 team during her time at West Virginia.
Tavy Diggs
Tavy Diggs has been at West Virginia for since 2022, spending her first three collegiate seasons at Big 12 foe TCU. Across two seasons at West Virginia, Diggs has appeared 59 games, starting one of them.
She has averaged 12.1 minutes per game, 3.6 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, and 0.6 assists per game during her time at West Virginia. Her best statistical season has come this season, where she has averaged 14.9 minutes per game and 5.1 points per game.
“Tavvy’s has been in this league now, even at TCU when she transferred here. So, the kid has been around, already graduated, is going to go on and have a phenomenal career in whatever she chooses to do,” Kellogg said of Diggs.
Off the court, Diggs is a media solutions and innovation major. She has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and was named an Academic All-Big 12 selection during her time at TCU as well.
Lauren Fields
Lauren Fields is in her first season at West Virginia after spending last season at Arizona and the previous three before that at Oklahoma State. In her lone season at West Virginia, Fields has started all 28 games.
“Lauren Fields has come in, in a one-year situation and been that third scorer for us on most nights and been one of our better defenders,” Kellogg said.
This season, Fields has averaged 31.5 minutes per game, 10.1 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game, and 1.9 assists per game. Her best statistical season came in 2021-22 at Oklahoma State, where she averaged 34.6 points per game and 15.4 points per game.
