Senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast was named the Notre Dame Monogram Club Most Valuable Player for the fourth consecutive year at Tuesday night's season-ending Irish Women's Basketball Banquet.

Jacqueline Batteast Named Midseason Candidate For Naismith Trophy

Feb. 22, 2005

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame senior All-America forward Jacqueline Batteast (South Bend, Ind./Washington HS) took another step in her quest to be named the nation’s top collegiate women’s basketball player on Tuesday when she was one of 30 players selected as midseason candidates for the Naismith Trophy presented by Cingular Wireless. It’s the second time in the past month Batteast has been tapped as a leading midseason contender for a major national player of the year award — in January, she was named to the John R. Wooden Women’s Award Midseason Top 20 List.

The Naismith Trophy is awarded annually by the Atlanta Tipoff Club, with the Naismith midseason top 30 list being chosen by the group’s Board of Selectors, a cross-section of leading basketball journalists, coaches and administrators from across the country. Those 30 players, and others who may distinguish themselves throughout the season, will be eligible for the final Naismith Trophy ballot in March, when four finalists are announced by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors.

Batteast is one of five BIG EAST Conference players on the top 30 list, joining Jessalyn Deveny of Boston College, Cappie Pondexter of Rutgers, and Ann Strother and Barbara Turner of Connecticut. All are trying to follow in the footsteps of another BIG EAST player, former Connecticut guard Diana Taurasi, who was last year’s Naismith Trophy recipient.

A four-time BIG EAST Player of the Week and the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 Preseason WNIT, Batteast ranks second in the BIG EAST in scoring (17.7 ppg.), and also stands among the conference leaders in rebounding (10th – 6.6 rpg.), assists (15th – 2.96 apg.), free throw percentage (2nd – .831), double-doubles (6th – 6) and 20-point games (2nd – 10). In addition, Batteast ranks in the top five on the Irish career lists for points (4th – 1,794), scoring average (4th – 15.3 ppg.), rebounds (4th – 926), rebounding average (3rd – 7.9 rpg.), blocks (3rd – 161) and double-doubles (2nd – 38). She also has started 91 consecutive games, needing to start her next five contests to break Katryna Gaither’s school record for consecutive starting assignments (95 from 1994-97).

Notre Dame (23-4, 11-3 BIG EAST), which is ranked 10th in both major national polls this week, returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. (ET), playing host to West Virginia at the Joyce Center. Prior to the game, the Irish will hold their annual Senior Day ceremonies, honoring Batteast and senior center Teresa Borton, as well as senior managers Kathleen Tallmadge and Caitlin Early.

— ND —