Edwards Named Horizon League Player Of The Year
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (March 10, 2008) - Junior Traci Edwards of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team has been named the 2008 Horizon League Player of the Year, the league office announced today. Edwards is Milwaukee's first league player of the year since Maria Viall garnered the honor after the 2003-04 season. She is also the third player in league history to be named to the all-league first team in each of her first three seasons. Junior Turquoise McCain was also named to the League All-Defensive Team. She is the first Panther to earn a spot on the defensive team since Nichole Drummond in 2005-06. Edwards currently leads the league with 20.3 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She is on pace to be the first player in league history to lead the league in scoring and rebounds in back-to-back seasons. Edwards has also broken a number of school records this season, including a school-record 45 points and school and league-record 20 free throws made at Loyola Feb. 21. She also set school records for free throws in a season (199, league record) and career (510), as well as double-doubles in a season (16) and career (44). McCain picked her first career honor from the league with her selection to the all-defensive team. She is second on the team in steals, with 34, and rebounding, at 4.1 per game. She has also tallied 6.8 points per game, while starting the first 26 games of the season. McCain suffered a broken toe before the March 1 game at Green Bay and will likely miss the rest of the season.
The third-seeded Panthers being their run in the 2008 Horizon League Championship Wednesday, hosting No. 6 Valparaiso at the Klotsche Center. Milwaukee is in search of its first league tournament title since 2006 and third overall. |
