HARTFORD, Conn. – Louisville senior Angel McCoughtry has won BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in several statistical categories this season. DePaul’s China Threatt is honored as the BIG EAST Sixth Man. In a league of experienced players, two were named BIG EAST Most Improved Players as Villanova senior Laura Kurz and West Virginia sophomore Sarah Miles each earned the honor. Connecticut senior Renee Montgomery is the winner of the BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award.

The awards are announced prior to the start of the 2009 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Championship March 6-10 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. The awards for BIG EAST Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year will be announced at a press conference on March 6 at the XL Center at approximately 5 p.m. ET.

McCoughtry is the first Louisville player to garner BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors, yet this is the second major award for the senior forward as she was named BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2006-07. For the third straight year, McCoughtry leads the league in points per game (26.6), rebounds (10.0) and steals (78) becoming the first player in conference history to achieve the feat. She is also first in defensive rebounds (124). McCoughtry has helped keep Louisville in the top 15 of the national polls all season, including top 10 rankings since the first week of conference play. The senior forward shot 74.8 percent from the free throw line and has been sent to the charity stripe 135 times in conference play. McCoughtry’s has quickness and an innate ability to be in the right place to grab a rebound or make a steal.

Threatt becomes the second overall winner of the Sixth Man Award and the first for DePaul. The junior guard has come off the bench in 13-of-16 games she has played in, making her first start of the year against Rutgers on Feb. 27. Threatt averaged 23.2 minutes in league play and scored 6.7 points per game. Her presence off the bench jump starts the level of play for the Blue Demons both offensively and defensively. Threatt does all the little things to help make the team better.
 
Kurz has seen improvement from her first to her second year in the BIG EAST as she transferred to Villanova from Duke prior to last season. The senior forward has been instrumental in the Wildcats’ fourth-place finish in the BIG EAST standings, as she leads VU in scoring and rebounding in both overall games and in conference competition. In 16 league games, Kurz is averaging 18.2 points and 6.5 rebounds, while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. Last season, she scored 15.3 points and grabbed 5.4 rebounds per game. In her two years at Villanova, she has become a team leader, knowing when to take on the scoring responsibilities for the team. Kurz earns the Most Improved Player Award for Villanova for the first time since Jenny Higgins won in 1997-98 and the second time overall for the Wildcats.

Miles has helped a West Virginia team that has been playing with seven to eight players all season long due to injuries. The sophomore guard saw very limited time in 2007-08 because of the experience and depth of the West Virginia roster, playing in just 16 games at an average of 5.4 minutes per game. This season, Miles has seen a drastic increase in many statistical categories. In 16 conference games, she is averaging 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. She is shooting 43.2 percent from the field and has made 47-of-62 free throws. As a sophomore, she has become the leader of the Mountaineers as she has taken on various responsibilities to help accommodate its short bench.

As one of the nation’s top point guards, Montgomery epitomizes leadership and good sportsmanship both on and off the court. The senior point guard has made 139 career starts - the most of any player nationally - and 13 more than the next closest player. In addition, Montgomery also owns a streak of 131 consecutive starts - also the highest number nationally. A natural leader at the point guard position, Montgomery has been a starter for all four years and a team captain for the last three. She is a candidate for the Lieberman Award, the Naismith Trophy, the Wooden Award and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. Off the court, Montgomery is a regular visitor to the Connecticut Children’s Hospital and volunteers annually at the Salvation Army Christmas Store. In addition, she collected donations for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The 11-member All-BIG EAST First Team has student-athletes from eight different schools, 10 upperclassmen and seven unanimous selections. Connecticut sophomore Maya Moore is the only underclassman named to the first team. Connecticut leads the pack with three selections, followed by Louisville with two picks. Moore and Montgomery, along with teammate junior Tina Charles, are all unanimous selections and represent the Huskies. McCoughtry and senior Candyce Bingham hail from Louisville. Kurz, along with USF senior Shantia Grace, Syracuse senior Chandrea Jones, Rutgers junior Epiphanny Prince, Notre Dame senior Lindsay Schrader and Pittsburgh senior Shavonte Zellous round out the All-BIG EAST First Team.

2008-09 BIG EAST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POSTSESAON HONORS
BIG EAST DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Angel McCoughtry, Louisville (Sr., Forward, Baltimore, Md.)

BIG EAST SIXTH MAN AWARD
China Threatt, DePaul (Jr., Guard, Auburn Hills, Mich.)

BIG EAST MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD
Laura Kurz, Villanova (Sr., Forward, Lower Gwynedd, Pa.)
Sarah Miles, West Virginia (So., Guard, San Antonio, Texas)

BIG EAST SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Renee Montgomery, Connecticut (Sr., Guard, St. Albans, W.Va.)