Edwards Named Horizon League Preseason Player Of The Year
MILWAUKEE, Wis. (Oct. 10, 2008) - Junior Traci Edwards of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team has been picked as the 2008-09 Horizon league Preseason Player of the Year Friday in the league's annual preseason voting of head coaches, sports information directors and media. Edwards was picked for the award for the second year in a row, following it up last season by being named the league's player of the year at season's end. Edwards averaged a school-record 20.6 points per game last season and added 9.7 rebounds per contest. She led the league in scoring for the second-straight season and in rebounding for the third. She became just the second player in league history to lead either category in as many successive years, while also becoming the third player to lead in both categories in the same season and the first to do it in back-to-back seasons. A three-year all-league first-team honoree, she was also named the league newcomer of the year in 2006. As a junior, she became Milwaukee's fourth league player of the year, following Jen Greger (1997) and Maria Viall (2002 and 2004). The Panthers return three starters and 12 letterwinners from last year's squad that went 17-14 and finished tied for second in the league with an 11-7 league mark. The team was picked to finish third in the league's preseason poll, released Wednesday. UWM kicks off the exhibition portion of its schedule against Michigan Tech Nov. 6. The regular season gets underway Nov. 15-16 at the Wolfpack Invitational in Raleigh, N.C.
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