HARTFORD, CONN. – Connecticut’s Maya Moore made BIG EAST history as she was named the 2008 BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Year, marking the first time that a first-year player has earned the league’s highest honor of Player of the Year, along with freshman recognition. Moore’s bench leader, head coach Geno Auriemma, shared BIG EAST Coach of the Year honors with Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman. Rutgers senior Essence Carson has been selected as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year for the third-straight time, while teammate sophomore Epiphanny Prince was named the BIG EAST’s Most Improved Player. UConn senior Ketia Swanier was the inaugural winner of the BIG EAST Sixth Man Award. West Virginia senior Meg Bulger was picked for the Sportsmanship Award. The awards were announced at the annual awards banquet which opened the 2008 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship Presented by Aéropostale.

Moore is the 14^th Connecticut student-athlete to earn BIG EAST Player of the Year honors and the third straight and 10^th overall to be named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native becomes the first player – men’s or women’s – in conference history to grab both honors. Moore has had an exceptional rookie season as she was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week a league-record 10 times and, in addition, was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on March 3 becoming the first freshman – male or female – to win both awards in the same week.

Moore led her team in scoring, averaging 19.6 points through 16 league games. The sharp-shooting forward owns a 57.7 field goal percentage (123-213), a league-best 48.8 3-point field goal percentage (39-80) and has made 29-of-36 free throw attempts in conference action. Moore broke the BIG EAST rookie single-season records for scoring average (19.6 ppg) and field goals made (123). She also is tops on the team in overall scoring with an 18.4 average and second in rebounding, grabbing 7.3 per game. Moore is the only player in the league to score in double digits in all 30 games this season, and holds the UConn mark for consecutive games in double figures to start a career. She most recently broke Connecticut’s single-season freshman scoring record and stands with 551 points, passing Svetlana Abrosimova’s mark of 532. Moore is a Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year candidate.

Auriemma earns Coach of the Year honors for the seventh time in his 23 years at the helm of Connecticut. He led UConn to its 16^th BIG EAST regular-season championship with a 66-46 win against No. 4/4 Rutgers on March 3. The Huskies went 15-1 in league play and 29-1 overall, opening the year with 21 consecutive wins, even after losing two starters to season-ending knee injuries. The Naismith Hall of Fame coach and UConn have been ranked No. 1 nationally for three-straight weeks and 10 overall this season. When they were not the top-ranked team in the country, the Huskies held the No. 2 position. Auriemma has led Connecticut to wins over five teams ranked in the Top 10 and eight wins over Top 25 opponents. He obtained his 650^th career win in the Huskies regular-season finale against Rutgers and holds a 650-121 (.843) overall record.

Hillsman becomes just the second Syracuse head coach to be named BIG EAST Coach of Year and the first since 1987-88. The second-year bench boss has taken Syracuse to new heights this season, tying the record for most wins in a season with 22 and has 10 wins in conference play, all of which last happened in the ’87-88 season.  The Orange have been ranked or receiving votes in both major polls since Jan. 29, earned a national ranking for the first time in program history and had its highest program ranking of No. 21 by the Associated Press on Feb. 11. 

For the fourth straight year, a Scarlet Knight has been tabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year and Essence Carson earns the honor for the third-straight time. A guard/forward, Carson averaged 5.3 rebounds, while dominating the defensive boards, grabbing 63 through 16 conference games. Carson and the Scarlet Knights are ranked first in the league in scoring defense, limiting their opponents to 53.5 points per game. They also stand first in rebounding defense (32.3 per game) and second in field goal percentage defense (35.8 percent) in conference action. Carson joins Notre Dame’s Ruth Riley as the only three-time winner of the defensive player of the year award (1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01).

Prince was picked as the Most Improved Player and is the second RU player to win the award. Michelle Campbell earned the honor in 2004-05. The sophomore guard has seen an improvement in her statistics and confidence as the league season has progressed. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native has upped her scoring average to 13.6 points per game, bettering last year’s 11.2 average. She has also raised her field goal percentage (44.2 percent), rebounds (5.0 per game), assists (2.8 per game) and steals (2.0 per game). Her break-out performance of the season was a career-high 33 points, including 27 in the second half and a perfect 11-of-11 from the foul line in RU’s 73-71 home victory over top-ranked Connecticut on Feb. 5.

Swanier has been instrumental in sustaining Connecticut’s 29-1 record and No. 1 national ranking this season. A reserve, who stepped up her play when two teammates endured season-ending injuries, the senior guard was usually the first person off the bench. Through 16 league games, Swanier leads the team with 75 assists and has a team-second 31 steals, while averaging 7.9 points per game. The Columbus, Ga. native, is part of a senior class that holds a 118-18 record throughout their four-year careers.

Bulger has returned for her senior season from two separate ACL injuries to the same knee, which forced her to miss one and a half seasons, to be a key contributor for No. 14/18 West Virginia. A true role model on and off the court, Bulger also has been involved in numerous community service initiatives. She has a calm presence on the court which carries over to her teammates raising their playing confidence to a higher level. The guard/forward is an intelligent player who is always the first person to help her team. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native is a frequent participant in grade school “read-a-louds”, attends WVU Children’s Hospital “cheer up” sessions and was part of the 2007-08 “OneWVU” initiative, raising the community’s awareness in the fight for diversity. Bulger was also the Special Olympics Key Note Speaker and a volunteer. Bulger is a 2008 All-BIG EAST Second Team member and a four-time All-BIG EAST Team selection.

The 11-member All-BIG EAST First Team has student-athletes from seven different schools and just four seniors. Connecticut leads the pack with three selections, followed by Rutgers with two picks. Moore, along with teammates sophomore Tina Charles and junior guard Renee Montgomery, represent the Huskies. Prince and senior guard Matee Ajavon hail from Rutgers, while DePaul senior guard Allie Quigley, Louisville junior forward Angel McCoughtry, Marquette junior guard Krystal Ellis, Notre Dame senior Charel Allen, Pittsburgh junior guard Shavonte Zellous and West Virginia senior center Olayinka Sanni round out the All-BIG EAST First Team.

^ - Due to a tie in voting, two extra members have been added to the All-BIG EAST Freshman Team