Colorado University Athletics
BJORKLUND NAMED TO NAISMITH AWARD WATCH LIST
ATLANTA, Ga. ? Tera Bjorklund, the leading scorer from the University of Colorado women's basketball team's 2003 Sweet 16 squad has earned another preseason accolade, as she was named to the national watch list for the Naismith Award on Thursday.
Bjorklund (St. Peter, Minn.), who is coming off a season which saw her average 24.7 points per game in the NCAA Tournament and 18.5 ppg overall, has been named to the watch list for every major Player of the Year trophy, including the Naismith Award, the State Farm Margaret Wade Trophy and the inaugural women’s John R. Wooden Award.
The 6-5 senior started the Buffs exhibition season in style with 19 points in 21 minutes of play versus Metropolitan State College of Denver in Boulder on Tuesday night. The No. 20 Buffaloes (ESPN/USA Today) defeated the Roadrunners 102-63 in their first exhibition of the season. CU will play their second and final exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 7 against defending Division II national champions South Dakota State.
Colorado tips off the regular season on Friday, Nov. 14 against Old Dominion in the WBCA Classic. This prestigious tournament will also feature No. 16 Notre Dame and Auburn, with the championship contested on Saturday, Nov. 15. While not ranked in any preseason top 25 polls, ODU is a perennial NCAA Tournament participant, and should the Buffs play Notre Dame in their second game it will be the second time in school history that CU has played a top 25 team within the first two games of the season.
The Naismith Awards program, now in its 36th year, honors the outstanding college basketball players in the United States. The awards program was founded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, an organization dedicated to recognizing the achievements of student-athletes in basketball.
The candidates were selected by a vote of the Board of Selectors comprised of leading basketball coaches, journalists, and basketball analysts. Members of the board were asked to name top male and female players who are most likely to be in contention for the award.
2003-04 Preseason Naismith National Player of the Year Candidates
(Players listed alphabetically)
Seimone Augustus (6-1 So. G), LSU; Jacqueline Batteast (6-2 Jr. F), Notre Dame; Alana Beard (5-11 Jr. G/F), Duke; Jenni Benningfield (6-3 Jr. F), Vanderbilt; Tera Bjorklund (6-5 Sr. C), Colorado; Rebekkah Brunson (6-3 Sr. F), Georgetown; Jamie Carey (5-6 Sr. G), Texas; Shameka Christon (6-1 Sr. F), Arkansas; Shyra Ely (6-2 Jr. F), Tennessee; Trina Frierson (6-2 Sr. F), Louisiana Tech; Ebony Hoffman (6-2 Sr., USC); Temeka Johnson (5-3 Sr. G), LSU; Chandi Jones (5-10 Sr. F/G), Houston; Kelly Mazzante (6-0 Sr. G), Penn State; Loree Moore (5-9 Jr. G), Tennessee; Nicole Ohlde (6-4 Sr. C), Kansas State; Jia Perkins (5-8 Sr. G), Texas Tech; Cappie Pondexter (5-9 Jr. G), Rutgers; Nicole Powell (6-2 Sr. G), Stanford; Heather Schreiber (6-2 Jr. F), Texas; Stacy Stephens (6-1 Sr. C), Texas; Ann Strother (6-2 So. G), Connecticut; Diana Taurasi (6-0 Sr. G/F), Connecticut; Christi Thomas (6-5 Sr. F/C), Georgia; Iciss Tillis (6-4 Sr. F), Duke; Kendra Wecker (5-11 Sr. F), Kansas State; Lindsay Whalen (5-8 Sr. G), Minnesota; Tan White (5-8 Jr. G), Mississippi State; Shereka Wright (5-10 Sr. F), Purdue; and Tanisha Wright (5-11 Jr. G), Penn State.