Lanay Montgomery

Classroom

Lanay Montgomery has excelled in the classroom as a Mountaineer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in May 2016 and is presently seeking her graduate degree in communications. Montgomery was named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and to WVU’s Garrett Ford Academic Honor Roll. She was also recently featured in the Big 12 Conference’s Champions for Life campaign as a successful student-athlete. Montgomery prides herself on education and is encouraging her younger nieces, nephews and cousins to further their education and better themselves.

Character

Montgomery has been a model student-athlete. Her mantra is to give to others, and she lives this in her everyday life. A prime example of Montgomery’s character came in June 2016. When southern West Virginia suffered historic flooding, Montgomery felt it was important to give back to the community that supports the Mountaineers so devotedly. On her own accord, Montgomery instructed her teammates to gather various supplies that could be donated to help those affected by the flood. Montgomery and her teammates came through by donating the supplies to a local WVU drive. For the past two seasons, Montgomery has been named a team captain and leader for the women’s basketball program. She is a fan favorite because of her outgoing demeanor and willingness to help others.

Community

Montgomery consistently gives back to the Morgantown and Monongalia County communities. She has volunteered many times at the Bartlett House, which serves the homeless of Morgantown and Monongalia County. She reads to school children as part of the West Virginia University Read Aloud program, and has cooked numerous dinners for families residing at the Ronald McDonald house in Morgantown. She also has assisted with the Holiday Angel Tree Shopper Buddy program with helping young children find winter clothing items and toys for the holiday season.

For the past two years, Montgomery has served as a volunteer for the West Virginia University Relay for Life. She has a love for teaching young children and has helped as a volunteer for the WVU Child Learning Center, primarily working with preschool-aged children. She and her teammates have handed out food to students and other members in the community at the WVU Mobile Food Bank, and Montgomery and the Mountaineers have delivered teddy bears and stuffed animals to the City of Morgantown Police and Monongalia County Sherriff’s Office. All of the animals were donated at WVU games the past two seasons. They are given to child victims of crime and trauma.

In addition to donating items to those affected by the southern West Virginia floods, Montgomery and her teammates traveled to Rainelle, West Virginia, on July 15, 2016, to assist with the clean-up effort. They gutted a house, which included removing everything from the floor to the interior walls. Montgomery and the team befriended the family during this time and have kept in contact with them.

Competition

Montgomery is known as a one of the nation’s best shot-blockers. She set the school sophomore record with 124 blocked shots in 2015, and in 2016, Montgomery blocked 97 shots (2.8 bpg) and helped West Virginia win a NCAA Statistical Award after leading the nation with 6.5 blocked shots per game. At nomination time, Montgomery was third all-time at WVU with 231 career blocked shots and was 40 away from reaching second. Montgomery is 91 rebounds away and 17 offensive rebounds shy of reaching WVU’s career top 10. She improved her scoring efforts as a junior by averaging 8.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game and garnered both All-Big 12 Second Team and Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors. In October 2016, Montgomery garnered Preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.