Jackson And Rush Earns All-Big 12

NORMAN, Okla. A pair of Oklahoma women's basketball players were honored by the Big 12 Conference office Friday. Senior All-America candidate Dionnah Jackson was named to the All-Big 12 first team, while sophomore standout Leah Rush collected second team accolades. All-Big 12 honors are voted on by the league coaches.

The Sooners head into next week's Big 12 Tournament as the seventh seed and will face 10th seed Texas A&M at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 8.

Jackson, a 5-9 guard, had previously been named to the 2004 and 2003 All-Big 12 second team. After ranking among the league's best in 11 categories, posting just the sixth triple-double in conference history and setting school and opponent records Jackson earned the recognition she has long deserved.

“Dionnah has had an amazing senior year,” said Sooner coach Sherri Coale. “She has been our unequivocal leader. Being named to the all conference first team is an honor that Dionnah has earned through her consistent and complete play. Our staff and her teammates are thrilled for her!”

The St. Louis, Mo. native is a finalist for the Wade & Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year honors as well as one of 10 finalists
for Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award. Jackson, the heart beat of this year's team, averages 14.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 46.3 percent from the field.

The duo has guided OU to a tie for sixth-place in the conference with an 8-8 record. OU enters Big 12 Tournament action with an overall mark of 16-11.

Earning her first All-Big 12 honor, Rush appears among the NCAA elite in free throw percentage, with a 84.0 accuracy, ranking her 37th in the nation. The Amarillo, Texas native has scored in double digits in 12-straight games and 22 of 27 this season. She's also registered 20-plus points against six different opponents this season. Rush is coming off of her first double-double against a Big 12 opponent with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Oklahoma State Thursday night.

“It is a great honor to be chosen as one of the top 15 players in the Big 12 Conference, and Leah Rush has earned that spot through her consistency this season,” said Coale. “Leah is a versatile athlete probably playing a bit out of position for us at the center, however, her contributions on both ends of the floor reflect her wide-ranging abilities.”

Jackson and Rush accounts for 42.8 percent of the team's scoring and 36.4 percent its rebounds.

Kim Mulkey-Robertson (Baylor) was chosen Coach of the Year and Kendra Wecker (Kansas State) was named Player of the Year. Newcomer of the Year honors went to Jelena Spiric (Nebraska) and Morenike Atunrase (Texas A&M) captured Freshman of the Year honors. The team was voted on by the league's head coaches with coaches not allowed to vote for their own players.

Mulkey-Robertson earned her first Big 12 Coach of the Year accolade after leading Baylor to its first women's basketball conference championship in school history. The Lady Bears won the Big 12 title with a 14-2 league mark and are 24-3 overall, with a current 11-game win streak.

Wecker, a 5-11 senior forward, is the only Big 12 player averaging a double-double in overall and conference games. She numbers 21.0 ppg and 10.1 rpg in all games and registered 20.8 ppg and 10.6 rpg in league play.

Spiric, a 6-1 junior forward, started in 19 and played in all 28 games for Nebraska in her first season after transferring from Colby Community College. Atunrase, a 5-10 freshman forward, is the only player to rank in the top four among Big 12 freshmen in scoring (2 - 10.5 ppg), rebounding (4 - 5.2 rpg), steals (1 - 1.9 spg), and blocks (1 - 1.8 bpg).

Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball 2004-05 All-Conference Team
First Team
Player, School
Dionnah Jackson, Oklahoma
Kendra Wecker, Kansas State
Sophia Young, Baylor
Tiffany Jackson, Texas
Ann O'Neal, Iowa State
Steffanie Blackmon, Baylor
Erin Grant, Texas Tech
Jamie Carey, Texas
Cisti Greenwalt, Texas Tech
Kiera Hardy, Nebraska

Second Team
Leah Rush, Oklahoma
Katie Robinette, Iowa State
Laurie Koehn, Kansas State
Chesley Dabbs, Texas Tech
Heather Schreiber, Texas

Honorable Mention (alphabetical by school)
Veronica Johns-Richardson (Colorado), Crystal Kemp and Erica Hallman (Kansas), Megan Mahoney (Kansas State), Tiffany Brooks and Christelle N'Garsanet (Missouri), Jina Johansen (Nebraska), Nina Stone (Oklahoma State), Morenike Atunrase (Texas A&M), Alesha Robertson and LaToya Davis (Texas Tech)

Coach of the Year: Kim Mulkey-Robertson, Baylor
Player of the Year: Kendra Wecker, Kansas State
Newcomer of the Year: Jelena Spiric, Nebraska
Freshman of the Year: Morenike Atunrase, Texas A&M

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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