Biography
Duke University senior Alana Beard was named the winner of the State Farm Wade Trophy, Associated Press National Player of the Year, and was named Kodak All-America for the third straight year in 2004.
Beard earned four National Player of the Year accolades including the most prestigious award in women's basketball, the State Farm Wade Trophy. She also won the USBWA and ESPN.com national awards. In the Associated Press voting, Beard received 39 of a possible 47 votes for player of the year.
Beard, a Shreveport, La., native led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in scoring (19.7) and finished the season with averages of 5.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.4 blocks a contest, while leading Duke to a 30-4 record and a Mideast Region Final appearance. The Blue Devils were ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press poll for the first time in school history and finished her career with eight ACC Championships- four tournament and four regular season titles.
For her career, Beard compiled 2,687 points, 789 rebounds, 509 assists, 404 steals and 149 blocks. She became the first player in NCAA men's or women's history to register over 2,500 points and 400 steals and will leave Duke as the all-time leading scorer for men and women. The senior guard led the Blue Devils to two NCAA Final Four appearances and became only the second woman to be named Associated Press first team All-America on three occasions.
She also became Duke's first women's basketball player to have her jersey retired, was the first ACC player to be named first team All-ACC each of her four years and was the first three-time ACC Player of the Year.
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