Ohlde Named First Team Associated Press All-American
Apr 03, 2003 | Women's Basketball
April 3, 2003
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Kansas State junior Nicole Ohlde became the first K-State player ever and the sixth Big 12 player in the league's seven years to be selected an Associated Press first team All-American Thursday by votes from a nationwide media panel. Sophomore Kendra Wecker was also a selected third team All-American.
"I feel truly honored that I have received this recognition," Ohlde said. "I think a major reason that I received this award is due to my teammates because of the things they do to make me better."
Joining Ohlde on the first team are Connecticut's Diana Taurasi, Duke's Alana Beard, Mississippi State's LaToya Thomas and Penn State's Kelly Mazzante. The team was picked by the 44-member national media panel that votes on the weekly AP Top 25.
On the third team with Wecker were Texas' Stacy Stephens, Purdue's Shereka Wright, Texas Tech's Plenette Pierson, and LSU's Seimone Augustus, the only freshman on any of the All-America teams.
Vanderbilt's Chantelle Anderson, Stanford's Nicole Powell, Tennessee's Kara Lawson, South Carolina's Jocelyn Penn, and Minnesota's Lindsay Whalen made the second team.
Each voter picked three teams and players received points on a 5-3-1 basis. The voting was done before the NCAA Tournament.
Taurasi and Beard were first-team choices on every ballot for a maximum 220 points. Thomas was the only other player on each ballot, getting 40 first-team votes and 212 points. Ohlde had 151 points, Mazzante 148.
Ohlde, a Kodak All-America finalist, averaged 18.4 points, a team-leading 9.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.9 blocks and shot a team-best 57.3 percent from the field. The Big 12 Player of the Year and first team All-Big 12 selection is the only player in the league to be in the top five in six of 12 statistical categories and one of seven players ranked in the top 15 in at least six categories.
Wecker, a 5-foot-11 forward from Marysville, Kan., led Kansas State in scoring (19.0) and steals (1.8), and was second in rebounding (8.3) and assists (3.6). The first team All-Big 12 selection is the only player in the Big 12 ranked in the top 15 in 10 of 12 statistical categories.
The duo led the Wildcats to their second-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament and a second-place finish in the Big 12 regular season. The eighth-ranked Wildcats finished the 2002-03 year 29-5 overall and 14-2 in the Big 12 and set school records for overall and conference victories.
Ohlde and Wecker join Andria Jones as the only Wildcats to be named to an AP All-America team.
Kansas State Associated Press All-Americans
Nicole Ohlde - first team, 2003
Kendra Wecker - third team, 2003
Nicole Ohlde - honorable mention, 2002
Andria Jones - honorable mention, 1997
