GORHAM, Maine  –  Over the course of her career as a student-athlete at the University of Southern Maine, captain of the Huskies' women's basketball team junior Victoria Harris (Altus, Oklahoma/Lewiston) has continued to grow and reach to fulfill each of Five Pillars of USM Athletics: Academic Excellence, Athletic Achievement, Personal Growth, Professional Development and Service to Community. 
            Recently selected as the recipient of the University's Emerging Leader Award during USM's annual Student Government Awards presentation, presented to a student who has just begun to tap into their potential as a leader and use their voice positively at the University level and beyond, Harris has demonstrated her passion and commitment to her sport, her academics and her potential as a leader on and off campus.  In her variety of roles at USM and beyond, Harris was presented with honorable mention recognition for the State of Maine's 2021 John Lewis Youth Leadership Award.
            Established in February of 2021 by the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), Maine's Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced the launch of the initiative her in Maine in March.  Through this award, the Secretary of State's Office will annually recognize one Maine resident  (age 25 or under) who has demonstrated leadership abilities, a passion for social justice, and is improving the quality of life in her community. 
            "We're so proud and fortunate to have a thoughtful, and dedicated leader like Victoria as a member of our team," noted Huskies' head women's basketball coach Samantha Norris.  "She's taken initiative to stretch her comfort zone and confidently stepped in to leadership and advocacy positions at USM and beyond. She has applied the same commitment to athletic performance as she has to developing herself fully as a student ready to emerge from USM prepared for her next steps."
            A founding member of Huskies' Student-Athlete Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity Committee (SADIE), Harris is one of two USM student-athletes on the newly formed Maine Student-Athletes of Color (SAOC) Committee – the only intrastate collegiate partnership between all schools and their diversity committees.  In her roles as team captain, Huskies' SADIE and SAOC member, Harris has lead conversations about issues regarding xenophobia, improving the recruitment and retention of student-athletes of color, hiring more staff of color, and has encouraged her teammates, peers, coaches and athletic department staff to continue its work towards antiracism. Harris has also been actively involved with the University's Intercultural, Diversity and Equity Committee as a student-athlete representative. A council that is made up of students, faculty and staff, IDEC works with University leadership to steward the creation and sustainability of a safe, inclusive, diverse and anti-racist campus for people of all identities.
            As a student-employee in the Huskies' Athletic Communications Department, Harris also recently took part in the NCAA Career in Sport Forum, and has been active as a peer leader during Husky Pack Chats – a collaboration between USM Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and USM's Career and Employment Hub.
            Having recently completed her junior season at Southern Maine, Harris has quickly developed into one of the top centers in the Little East.   Harris led USM in scoring and rebounding in an abbreviated six-game season in 2021, averaging 13.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game while shooting 48.3 percent from the field.  She averaged 2.0 steals, 1.1 blocked shots and 1.33 assists per game.  In 58 career games, she has 615 points, 301 rebounds, 62 blocked shots, 92 steals and 39 assists. For her career, Harris is averaging 10.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.58 steals, and 1.06 steals per game and is shooting 46.5 percent from the floor, and has been honored by both the Little East Conference and Maine Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (MWBCA) for her play, earning All-State honors in 2020.