Daigneault of Amherst Named WBCA Player of the Year, All-America

Courtesy WBCA

ATLANTA, Ga. – Jaclyn Daigneault of Amherst College, is the 2011 State Farm®/WBCA national Player of the Year, the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association announced Friday. The WBCA presents this award annually to the top players in each of the four WBCA collegiate divisions.

Daigneault, the 2011 NESCAC Player of the Year, was also named a First Team All-American.

"The WBCA is pleased to present Jaclyn Daigneault with the State Farm/WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year award," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "She has had an outstanding season, and is very deserving of this achievement. State Farm is synonymous with excellence and so is this student-athlete's performance."

Daigneault, a 5-foot-11 senior guard-forward, leads Amherst (30-1) into the NCAA Division III Women's Final Four national semifinals tonight. She is Amherst's top scorer (15.2 ppg) and rebounder (7.2 rpg), and her .616 field-goal percentage ranks third among all Division III players nationally. The Guilford, Conn. native has scored at least 20 points in eight games and has recorded six double-doubles this season.

The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year Award is selected by the nine-member WBCA Player of the Year Committee, which consists of one WBCA-member coach from each of the eight WBCA Division III Regions and the committee chair.

Daigneault will be formally recognized during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be heldat 6 p.m. Monday, April 4, in the Indiana Convention Center's Sagamore Ballroom. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Indianapolis.

In addition to Daigneault being on the All-America team, junior teammate Caroline Stedman and Tufts' Colleen Hart garnered Honorable Mention by the WBCA.