Riquna Williams Joins Johnson on "Wade Watch" List

Feb. 3, 2011

ATLANTA – The University of Miami’s Riquna Williams has joined her teammate Shenise Johnson on the 2010-2011 “Wade Watch” list for The State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year.

The 32-member list is made up of top NCAA Division I student-athletes who best embody the spirit of Lily Margaret Wade according to the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to coach two players that are as talented as Shenise and Riquna,” said Miami head coach Katie Meier. “But, what sets them apart is their commitment to creating something special at Miami. They both deserve so much of the credit for the resurgence of this program and I’m happy they are getting recognized nationally.”

Williams, the Atlantic Coast Conference’s leading scorer at 21.4 points per game has been named the ACC Player of the Week four times this season. The explosive guard has scored 20 or more points in 13 games so far on the year, with a season-best 33 coming against Boston College on Jan. 16 and ranks sixth in the nation with 3.3 steals per contest.

Johnson was named to the Preseason “Wade Watch” list in August. The Henrietta, N.Y. native is the only player in the ACC that ranks among the Top 10 in the league in scoring (19.3 ppg – 2nd) , rebounding (8.0 rpg – 7th) and assists (3.5 apg – 10th). She also leads the conference with 3.6 steals per game, which ranks second nationally.

Both Williams and Johnson have led the Hurricanes to one of the most successful seasons in program history as Miami is currently ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and carry a 20-2 record heading into tonight’s game at No. 3 Duke. The duo is also up for the Naismith Award and Johnson is among 20 players that are on the Wooden Award List.

Carolyn Swords of Boston College and Jasmine Thomas of Duke are the only other student-athletes from the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named to the list.

The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 34th year and named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University Coach, Lily Margaret Wade, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women’s national player of the year award in college basketball. This high prestigious award, regarded as the “Heisman of Women’s Basketball,” is organized by the WBCA, in conjunction with the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS).

The State Farm Wade Watch list will be trimmed to 12 finalists in mid-March. State Farm and the Wade Trophy Coalition will officially announce the State Farm Wade Trophy winner during the WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women’s Final Four® in Indianapolis.

2010-2011 State Farm Trophy Preseason List