March 5, 2004
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Senior All-America candidate Evan Unrau (Fort Collins, Colo. / Rocky Mountain HS) has been selected as one of 10 women's semi-finalists for the Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence, officials from the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau announced today.
Among the women's semi-finalists, Unrau is joined by fellow Big 12 players Nicole Ohlde of Kansas State and Oklahoma's Caton Hill. It is Unrau's second major honor of the postseason, as she was named to the All-Big 12 First Team for the second straight year earlier today by the league's coaches.
"The process of narrowing down all the nominees to the 10 semi-finalists was difficult because of the many exceptional candidates, but we are extremely proud of the 20 individuals who made our semi-finalist list," said Dan Ballou, Director of Sports Marketing for ACVB. "We are pleased that our semi-finalists represent all regions of the country and a diverse group of conferences. The students on the list all have outstanding credentials and the selection of the three finalists is going to be another difficult task, but one that will be very rewarding."
The following are the 10 men and 10 women semi-finalists for the Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence presented by Creamland Dairies:
MEN: Timmy Bowers, Mississippi State Moris Finley, Alabama - Birmingham James Gillingham, Bradley Tommy Gunn, MTSU Adam Hess, William and Mary Michael Lindeman, Creighton Adam Mark, Belmont Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph's Jason Parker, Tulsa Jake Sullivan, Iowa State
WOMEN: Courtney Davidson, Navy Caton Hill, Oklahoma Jennie Lillis, Iowa Sara Nord, Louisville Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State Hana Peljto, Harvard Christi Thomas, Georgia Evan Unrau, Missouri Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota Corinne Wong, Pacific
In its second year, the award honors college seniors for their athletic and academic achievement, as well as their community involvement. It was first presented in Albuquerque after the 2002-03 basketball season to Matt Bonner of Florida and Tiffany Kyser of IUPUI. This year's award will be presented on Tuesday, April 13, 2004, at an awards dinner at the Albuquerque Marriott. ESPN College Basketball Analyst Jimmy Dykes will emcee the event. The three finalists will be selected during the NCAA basketball tournament and announced at the April 13 dinner. For ticket information, contact Dana Lehner, Sports Marketing Coordinator for ACVB at (505) 222-4359.