UConn’s Paige Bueckers is the only freshman among the 15 female basketball players in the Wood Award national college college, which was launched on Saturday.
South Carolina striker Aliyah Boston and Stanford goalkeeper Haley Jones were the only other members of the class. Stanford was the only school with more representatives, as senior guard Kiana Williams was also included in the top 15.
The Pac-12 led the way with four players in the national election, including Arizona conference player of the year Aari McDonald and senior colleague Michaela Onyen were from UCLA.
The SEC and Big 12 each had three players to vote for. Dana Evans of Louisville, who was named ACC Player of the Year for the second consecutive season earlier this week, is one of seven seniors in the top 15. Rhyne Howard of Kentucky, SEC player of the year for the second consecutive season, is one of the five juniors.
Bueckers led UConn to a 21-1 record and No. 1 in the AP Top 25. Earlier this week, Bueckers joined Maya Moore as the only women to sweep the Big East player and freshman awards of the same season. Bueckers leads UConn in score (19.8 PPG), assists (6.2 APG), steals (2.4 SPG) and shoots 3 points (47.6%).
Charli Collier from Texas, a junior eligible for the project and selection no. 1 projected in the 2021 WNBA project, was also included in the national vote.
The wooden award honoring the best female college basketball player was established in 2004. Sabrina Ionescu from Oregon won the award in 2018-19 and 2019-20. The Wood Award All-America team will be announced in late March, with the 2021 winner unveiled following the April NCAA tournament.