July 30, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference had four women’s basketball players named to the "Wade Watch" list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, as announced by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), on behalf of the Wade Coalition, Thursday.

The 25-member list is made up of top Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

This year's list boasted representatives from 20 institutions and 10 conferences, while the ACC was one of only four leagues to register four honorees. The ACC, Big East, Big Ten and Pac-10 each had four student-athletes on the list, followed by the Big 12 (3), SEC (2), Atlantic-10 (1), Mountain West (1), Sun Belt (1) and West Coast (1).

Virginia’s Monica Wright and four others become two-time "Wade Watchers," including Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State), Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Pederson (Stanford), and Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State). Joining Wright on the preseason list as an ACC representatives were North Carolina’s Jessica Breland, Florida State’s Jacinta Monroe and Boston College’s Carolyn Swords.

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd 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 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four, in San Antonio, Texas, April 2-6.

The preseason candidates for the State Farm Wade Trophy are listed in alphabetical order: