Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

ATLANTA, Ga. - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that Bowdoin College senior Eileen Flaherty has been named the State Farm/WBCA National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Player of the Year.  The WBCA presents this award annually to the top players in each of the following WBCA collegiate divisions (NCAA Divisions II, III, NAIA and JC/CC) and high school.

“Eileen Flaherty’s resilience and enthusiasm for women’s basketball has made the game even more exciting to watch this season,” said WBCA CEO Beth Bass.   “She has been the pinnacle of excellence in Division III this season and I am thrilled to present the 2007 State Farm/WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year Award to Eileen.”

Flaherty closed out her career at Bowdoin College as one of the most accomplished women’s basketball players in school history.  This season, she earned honors as the New England Small College Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year and captured her fourth First-Team All-NESCAC honor.  She is the only player in conference history (men’s or women’s basketball) to earn four consecutive First-Team selections.

Flaherty tallied 1,864 career points, making her the all-time leading scorer for the Polar Bears.  She became the only player in the record books (men’s or women’s) to surpass 1,700 points for a career.  Her 745 rebounds mark her at fifth in program history.  Flaherty’s contributions anchored the Polar Bears to four-straight NESCAC crowns and a remarkable 112-9 record, posting the best winning percentage of any senior class in Division III basketball (.925).  

"Congratulations to State Farm/WBCA NCAA Division III Player of the Year Eileen Flaherty," said Mark D. Gibson, Assistant Vice President of Advertising at State Farm. "Her outstanding accomplishments as a student-athlete, on and off the court, make her truly deserving of this wonderful honor. We look forward to seeing Eileen fulfill the rest of her basketball dreams."

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.

Flaherty will be formally presented her award at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens on Tuesday, April 3, 2007, at 12:00 p.m. (ET) in the Crowne Plaza’s Grand Ballroom. The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year presentation is part of the 2007 WBCA National Convention, held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Cleveland, Ohio.

About State Farm

State Farm(r) insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.6 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com(r) or in Canada statefarm.ca(tm).

Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game in all of its aspects as a sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.