March 13, 2009
2009 Wooden Award National Ballot 
LOS ANGELES - The John R. Wooden Award Ballot Selection Committee announced that Maryland seniors Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver were among the 19 student-athletes named to the official John R. Wooden Award National Ballot that decides the women's 2009 Wooden Award All-American Team and Player of the Year, presented annually to the nation's top collegiate female basketball player.
A panel of more than 300 voters, comprised of sports media members and college basketball experts from around the nation, have until 3 p.m. EST on Monday March 30 to cast their votes, a long voting period that allows voters to evaluate players up through games of the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. All players on the ballots have proven to their universities that they are making progress toward graduation and are maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
No. 1-ranked UConn (Maya Moore & Renee Montgomery) joins the fourth-ranked Terrapins as the only two programs with a pair of Wooden Award finalists in 2009.
In total nine seniors, seven juniors and three sophomores were chosen to the women's National Ballot. The Big East tops the 19-player list with five players, followed by the ACC (4), Big 12 (4), Pac-10 (2), SEC (1), Big Ten (1), Atlantic 10 (1) and Sunbelt (1).
The 2009 Award ceremony, which will include the presentation of the Men's and Women's Wooden Award winners and the Legends of Coaching Award to Rick Barnes of Texas, will be hosted by The Los Angeles Athletic Club on Friday, April 10.
Created in 1976, the John R. Wooden Award is the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball. It is bestowed upon the nation's best player at an institution of higher education who has proven to his or her university that he or she is making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA. Previous winners include Larry Bird ('79), Michael Jordan ('84), and Tim Duncan ('97), Kevin Durant of Texas ('07) and Candace Parker of Tennessee ('07 and '08).
