March 27, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -
Two Terrapins were among the 12 finalists named for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association's (WBCA) Wade Trophy, presented to the collegiate women's basketball national player of the year. Senior Crystal Langhorne and junior Kristi Toliver are among the players in contention for the honor, the WBCA and National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) recently announced.
Crystal Langhorne (Willingboro, N.J./Willingboro) is a finalist for the award for the second-straight year. A two-time All-American, she was named the ACC's Player of the Year after averaging 19.5 ppg and 10.1 rpg in conference action. Maryland's scoring and rebounding leader, scoring over 2,000 points and grabbing over 1,000 rebounds, Langhorne leads the team with 17.1 ppg and 9.4 rpg. She is Maryland's only four-time all-conference pick and is one of only 10 players in the history of the league to earn first team All-ACC nods.
Kristi Toliver (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) is having a career season, averaging 16.8 points per game. She leads the ACC and is ranked in the top five in the nation averaging 7.5 apg. She recently broke a 30-year old ACC single-season record for assists, having handed out 262 in 35 games. Toliver was a first-team All-ACC pick, the second-straight year she was named to the all-conference team.
Joining Langhorne and Toliver on the list are Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson from Rutgers, Tina Charles and Renee Montgomery from Connecticut, LSU's Sylvia Fowles, North Carolina's Erlana Larkins, Louisville'a Angel McCoughtry, Oklahoma's Courtney Paris, Tennessee's Candace Parker, and Stanford's Candice Wiggins.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the State Farm Wade Trophy Committee, comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators. Members of the committee select the winner of the State Farm Wade Trophy from the 10-member Division I State Farm Coaches' All-America Team and will be announced at a press conference during the WBCA National Convention on Saturday, April 5 at 9:45 a.m. in Tampa, Fla.
The top seed in the regional, Maryland prepares to face fourth-seeded Vanderbilt in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, March 29. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET time start and will be televised on ESPN. The Terps are making their second NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in three years.
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