Aug. 20, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. –The Atlantic Coast Conference had six league 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, Tuesday.

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 18 institutions and six conferences, while Duke and Maryland were two of only six schools to register at least two on the preseason list. In addition, the ACC was one of only two leagues to have six or more on the lineup.

The Big East led with eight selections, while the ACC had six, the Pacific-10 Conference had four, the Big 12 had three, and the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference had two apiece.

Maryland’s Marissa Coleman and Kristi Toliver made the list for the third year, while Duke’s Abby Waner became a second-time “Wade Watcher.” The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 32nd 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 honor, 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 2009 State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be announced at the WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four in St. Louis, Mo., April 3-7, 2009.