Feb. 26, 2007

By JOEDY McCREARY
AP Sports Writer

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- Duke, North Carolina and Maryland have reigned atop the Atlantic Coast Conference -- and the nation -- all season. Not surprisingly, those three schools were well-represented on the all-ACC team.

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels had two players each on the first team, and all three programs placed three players on the three all-conference teams in voting results announced Monday by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

Seniors Lindsey Harding and Alison Bales of Duke joined repeat first-teamers Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins of North Carolina and Crystal Langhorne of defending national champion Maryland in voting by 55 ACSMA members. Their three programs have been mainstays of the Top 10 all season and were consistently the three best in the conference.

Harding was a second-team selection last season who was voted to the first team on 53 ballots. This was the first all-conference award for Bales, the league's leading shot blocker.

They were recognized as the centerpieces of the first team in school and ACC history to finish a regular season undefeated. Top-ranked Duke (29-0) is the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament which begins Thursday in Greensboro.

"Everything that they get, they've worked hard all year long and done what was asked of them as far as leading the team," Duke coach Gail Goestenkors said of Harding and Bales. "Sometimes (Harding) scores when we need her to, and if we don't need her to, she makes sure she gets others involved. Alison Bales has done so much over the course of her career as well."

Latta, whose scoring average of 16.1 points was best on the first team, became the eighth player in league history selected to three all-ACC first teams. She was a first-team selection on 52 ballots.

Larkins, a two-time first-teamer, was second in the conference in rebounding.

"The ACC is the best conference in the nation, and to have three players named to the all-ACC teams reflects the high level they have played at all season," North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "The three of them have each stepped up at different times throughout the year to make us a better team and I think there's still another level we can reach."

Langhorne led the ACC by making 72.5 percent of her shots for the defending champs.

"Whenever we see those individual awards that come our way, we understand that those don't happen without your teammates," Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. "That's the special thing -- it's an honor for not just that individual player, but our total program."

Duke's Abby Waner, North Carolina's Camille Little and Maryland's Marissa Coleman headline the second team along with Virginia's Lyndra Littles and Miami's Renee Taylor -- the conference's leading scorer.

The Terrapins also placed one player on the third team -- guard Kristi Toliver. She joined Florida State's Alicia Gladden, North Carolina State's Khadijah Whittington, Boston College's Kathrin Ress and Georgia Tech's Stephanie Higgs.

The All-Atlantic Coast Conference women's teams, as voted on by 55 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association:

First Team (votes)
Lindsey Harding, Duke (163)
Ivory Latta, North Carolina (162)
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland (157)
Alison Bales, Duke (125)
Erlana Larkins, North Carolina (125)

Second Team
Abby Waner, Duke (104)
Camille Little, North Carolina (89)
Lyndra Littles, Virginia (83)
Renee Taylor, Miami (78)
Marissa Coleman, Maryland (73)

Third Team
Alicia Gladden, Florida State (65)
Khadijah Whittington, NC State (65)
Kathrin Ress, Boston College (57)
Stephanie Higgs, Georgia Tech (51)
Kristi Toliver, Maryland (50)

Honorable Mention (15 or more votes)
Kirby Copeland, Virginia Tech (33)
Janie Mitchell, Georgia Tech (21)
Wanisha Smith, Duke (19)
Gillian Goring, NC State (17)
Yolanda Lavender, Wake Forest (17)