March 5, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Crystal Langhorne is finishing the season the same way she started it - as the top player in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The league's preseason player of the year was named Wednesday as the winner of the end-of-the-year honor as well.

Langhorne, a senior post player, received 23 of 49 votes cast by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. North Carolina's Erlana Larkins received 12, Terrapins teammate Kristi Toliver had eight, North Carolina State's Khadijah Whittington had five and the Tar Heels' Rashanda McCants received one vote.

Maryland's career scoring leader and the school's leading rebounder regardless of gender, Langhorne ranked sixth in the ACC in scoring and second in rebounding this season. She averaged 16.5 points and 9.2 rebounds while leading the Terrapins to a No. 5 national ranking, a near-perfect ACC season and the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament that starts here Thursday.

In doing so, she became just the second Terps player to win the individual award and the first since Vicky Bullett in 1989 - the last time Maryland won the league tournament.

"We want to get some more championships as a team," said Langhorne, one of the key components of Maryland's run to the 2006 national title. "It's just great for our program to get that (player of the year) honor. Maryland's been on the map, but it's another step for our program."

Earlier in the week, Langhorne became one of 10 players to make the all-ACC first team for a third time. She is the league's active leader with 55 double-doubles and had 12 this season, leading the Terrapins to a 13-1 finish in conference play with the only loss coming in double overtime at North Carolina.

That feat was more remarkable because Maryland played many of its road games without its coach, Brenda Frese, who was pregnant with twins and was unable to travel with the team. Interim coach Daron Park kept the team together, with Langhorne and the other seniors also stepping forward to help fill that leadership void, and the Terps didn't seem to miss a beat.

"With 'Coach B' being out, she really depended on the seniors," Langhorne said. "Not just me, but a lot of our upperclassmen had to take a bigger role and help Coach Park out and help lead him, because he had a difficult task."

The voting breakdown for the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball player of the year, as cast by 49 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association:

Crystal Langhorne, Maryland (23)
Erlana Larkins, North Carolina (12)
Kristi Toliver, Maryland (8)
Khadijah Whittington, North Carolina State (5)
Rashanda McCants, North Carolina (1)