Press Release :: Women's Basketball Coaches Association

For Immediate Release
March 15, 2006
Contact: Summer Thagard
WBCA Manager of Communications
770.279.8027 ext. 112
Kelly Schmidt Named State Farm/WBCA
NAIA Player Of The Year
ATLANTA, Ga. -The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) announced today that Vanguard University's junior Kelly Schmidt has been named the State Farm/WBCA National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) 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.

"On behalf of the WBCA, I would like to congratulate Kelly Schmidt for earning the outstanding honor of being named State Farm/WBCA NAIA Player of the Year," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "Her work ethic and persistence athletically and academically have merited her with this achievement."

For the second consecutive year, Schmidt was named as the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Player of the Year. This season, the junior led the conference in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game. She also averaged 2.5 assists per game, 7.9 rebounds per game and 2.0 steals per game. Serving as team captain, she has been named GSAC Player of the Week six times and also broke Vanguard University's scoring record.

Her team remained at the number one spot through the entire season holding a 32-4 record and is to compete in the NAIA Division Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. Last year as a sophomore, Schmidt was honored on the NAIA All-America First Team, and was named to the WBCA/Kodak All-America Team and the NAIA All-Tournament Team.

"Congratulations to Kelly Schmidt on being selected the State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year," said Mark D. Gibson, Assistant Vice President of Advertising at State Farm. "This is a wonderful honor for such an outstanding student-athlete and we concur with Beth, and look forward to seeing Kelly Schmidt fulfill the rest of her basketball dreams."

The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year Award is selected by the seven-member WBCA Player of the Year Committee, which consists of one WBCA-member coach from each of the six WBCA NAIA Regions and the committee chair.

Schmidt will be formally presented her award at the WBCA Awards Luncheon presented by State Farm and Jostens on Sunday, April 2 at 12:30 p.m. (ET) in the Hynes Convention Center Ballroom. The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year presentation is part of the 2006 WBCA National Convention held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four® in Boston, Mass. This year the WBCA celebrates its Silver Anniversary, marking 25 years of existence.

State Farm ® 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 72,000 employees serve nearly 73 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada. State Farm also offers financial services products through State Farm Bank ®. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 21 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca.

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 an amateur sport for women and girls. For more information about the WBCA, please visit WBCA.org.


--WBCA--