Tulsa's Allison Curtin joined Louisiana Tech's Cheryl Ford as the only two players from the WAC to receive any type of All-America honors for the 2002-03 season after being named an honorable mention to the 2002-03 Associated Press All-American Team.
Curtin became the first player in school history to earn All-America honors.
The honorable mention All-America selection is the latest in a season full of honors for Curtin. Last month, she was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) 2003 All-Star Challenge, a team composed of the top-20 seniors in the country, and she was also named WBCA/Kodak All-District VII squad and to the 2003 all-WAC first team.
After setting WAC rebound records during the 2002-03 season, Ford earned her second-straight WAC Player of the Year honor. Ford was also named WAC Tournament MVP and named to the first team all-WAC squad.
Curtin was also named as one of three women's finalists for the first annual Creamland Dairy Men's and Women's Collegiate Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year Award. She joins Notre Dame's Alicia Rattay and IUPUI's Tiffany Kyser as the finalists for the award. All six (three men and women) of the finalists will be present in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on April 9, 2003, at the awards banquet. Jimmy Dykes, College Basketball Analyst for ESPN, will emcee the event.
The first year award will be presented to honor one male and one female basketball student-athlete who has made a commitment to achievement on the playing field, in the classroom and in their community.
HONORABLE MENTION (In alphabetical order)
Jenni Benningfield, Vanderbilt; Jennifer Butler, Massachusetts; Coretta Brown, North Carolina; Molly Creamer, Bucknell.
Allison Curtin, Tulsa; Cheryl Ford, Louisiana Tech; Vanessa Hayden, Florida; Gwen Jackson, Tennessee; Tamara James, Miami, Fla.; Temeka Johnson, LSU; Chandi Jones, Houston; Trish Juhline, Villanova; Giuliana Mendiola, Washington.
Jia Perkins, Texas Tech; Shawntinice Polk, Arizona; Cappie Pondexter, Rutgers; Lindsay Taylor, UC Santa Barbara; Iciss Tillis, Duke; Tan White, Mississippi State; Tanisha Wright, Penn State.