Aug. 15, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Three Maryland women's basketball players were selected to the 2007-08 "Wade Watch" list for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, the WBCA announced on Tuesday. The 25-player list of nominees included Terrapins Marissa Coleman, Crystal Langhorne and Kristi Toliver, each making repeat appearances on the list.
The 25 players, who were selected by a committee consisting of leading coaches, journalists and basketball administrators, are Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.
Maryland's three selections tied for the most, along with Rutgers (Matee Ajavon, Essence Carson and Kia Vaughan) and Tennessee (Nicky Anosike, Alexis Hornbuckle and Candace Parker). The ACC also had five picks, tying for the second most of any conference. The SEC had a high of eight players named to the list.
Entering her senior year, Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) has been named to the Wade Watch for the third-straight year. Last year, she was a finalist for the award and was voted a WBCA All-American. She also earned All-America honors for the second time by the Associated Press and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), garnering All-ACC nods for the third time, as well. Langhorne is coming off a successful summer where she led the USA U-21 National Team to a gold medal at the FIBA U-21 World Championship, averaging team highs of 15.6 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
Junior Marissa Coleman (Cheltenham, Md./St. John's College [D.C.]), who was named to the Wade Watch last year, also won gold this summer, as the USA Pan Am team captured first place at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Last year, Coleman was an AP Honorable Mention All-American and a second team All-ACC honoree for the second time.
Coleman's classmate, Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was also named a preseason candidate for the prestigious award last year. A 2007 third team All-ACC pick, she was one of 11 finalists for the Nancy Lieberman Award last season, presented to the nation's top point guard.
The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 30th year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball. This highly prestigious award, regarded as the "Heisman of Women's Basketball", is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).
The 2008 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in Tampa, Fla., April 5-8, 2008.
Maryland went 28-6 last season, advancing to its fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament. Four Terrapins starters return, as well as, eight overall letterwinners, and welcome the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation. The 2007-08 campaign tips off with the Preseason WNIT, when the Terps host Princeton on Nov. 9. Maryland will also battle Big 12 Champion Oklahoma in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 11. The team hosts Big Ten Champion Ohio State in the inaugural women's Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Nov. 30 and is slated to participate in the Jimmy V Classic, where it will face off with NCAA Runner Up Rutgers on Dec. 3 in Piscataway, N.J.
For information on purchasing tickets to Maryland women's basketball games, visit www.umterps.com or call the Comcast Center Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP.
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