Griffin Named Wade Trophy Finalist

Minneapolis - Nebraska's Kelsey Griffin continued to place her name among the best players in women's college basketball this season, when she named one of 12 finalists for the 2010 Wade Trophy on Tuesday afternoon.

Griffin, a 6-2 senior forward from Eagle River, Alaska, has averaged 20.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while leading the Huskers to the best season in school history with a 31-1 overall record, a Big 12 Conference regular-season title and a No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The 2010 Big 12 Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-Big 12 selection, Griffin is also one of four finalists for the 2010 Naismith Trophy and a finalist for the Wooden Award. She became just the third Husker in history to score 2,000 points after scoring 22 points in Nebraska's first-round NCAA Tournament win over Northern Iowa on Sunday. She also needs just seven more rebounds heading into the NU's second-round game with UCLA to become just the second Husker in history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, joining 1993 Wade Trophy winner Karen Jennings.

The candidates were selected by a vote of committee members comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists and basketball administrators. Members of the committee will select the winner of The State Farm Wade Trophy from the 10-member Division I State Farm Coaches' All-America Team and will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team and The State Farm Wade Trophy Announcement during the WBCA National Convention in San Antonio, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®. The announcement, which is open to the public, will be made on Saturday, April 3, 2010, at 1:05 p.m. CT on Center Court at the Alamodome as a part of the NCAA's Super Saturday events.

"State Farm is extremely proud to recognize and congratulate these 12 outstanding athletes as finalists for The 2010 State Farm Wade Trophy," said Pam El, Marketing Vice President for State Farm. "Their dedication and commitment epitomize the true meaning of student-athlete and they are all very deserving of this great honor."

The State Farm Wade Trophy Finalists are as follows:

Player Name	Institution	Year	Position
Jayne Appel	Stanford University	Sr.	C
Tina Charles	University of Connecticut	Sr.	C
Alysha Clark	Middle Tennessee State Univ.	Sr.	F
Kelsey Griffin	University of Nebraska	Sr.	G
Jantel Lavender	Ohio State University	Jr.	C
Maya Moore	University of Connecticut	Jr.	F
Nnemkadi Ogwumike	Stanford University	So.	F
Samantha Prahalis	Ohio State University	So.	G
Danielle Robinson	University of Oklahoma	Jr.	G
Jasmine Thomas	Duke University	Jr.	G
Courtney Vandersloot	Gonzaga University	Jr.	G
Monica Wright	University of Virginia	Sr.	G

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 33rd year, is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. This most prestigious award, regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball", debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball.

Last year's State Farm Wade Trophy winner was Connecticut's Maya Moore. The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978. Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many WNBA standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1997), Candace Parker (2007), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002) and Diana Taurasi (2003). Seimone Augustus (2005 and 2006) and Nancy Lieberman (1979 and 1980) are the award's only two-time recipients.

The Wade Trophy Coalition was established in June of 2000 when the WBCA partnered with The National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS). For the past ten years the two have worked together to present The State Farm Wade Trophy Player of the Year Award. A committee comprised of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States selects the winner.

The State Farm Wade Trophy winner will be formally presented her award at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens at Noon CT on Tuesday, April 6, at the Marriott Rivercenter Grand Ballroom.  This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in San Antonio, Texas.