UConn’s Dolson, Hartley, and Stewart Named As Finalists For 2014 Wade Trophy

STORRS, Conn. – Senior center Stefanie Dolson (Port Jervis, N.Y.), senior guard Bria Hartley (North Babylon, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Breanna Stewart (Syracuse, N.Y.) have been named as finalists for the 2014 Wade Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation’s most outstanding Division I women’s basketball player as announced on Thursday.

The candidates were selected by a vote of committee members consisting of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators. The committee will select the winner of The Wade Trophy from among the 12 finalists who also are named to the 10-member WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team when it is chosen in April. The winner will be announced during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. ET Monday, April . 7

Dolson, the 2013-14 American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Sportsmanship Award winner, is enjoying a stellar senior campaign, averaging 12.4 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The senior ranks 12th on UConn’s all-time scoring list with 1,747 career points and became only the fifth Husky all-time, along with Tina Charles, Maya Moore, Rebecca Lobo, and Jamelle Elliott, to register at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Hartley, an American Athletic Conference First Team member, ranks second on the team with 16.5 points per game and now sits in ninth place in UConn scoring history with 1,942 points, including 20 points in the Huskies’ second round win over Saint Joseph’s on Tuesday. The guard became just the third Husky, joining Moore and Diana Taurasi, to register 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists. Earlier this month, Hartley was selected as one of 19 nominees for the James E. Sullivan Award, which honors the nation’s outstanding amateur athlete.

Stewart has been one of the nation’s most prolific players in the 2013-14 season, earning both American Athletic Conference Player of the Year and espnW Player of the Year accolades. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game and has reached double digits in 27 straight games. Stewart was recently chosen as one of four finalists for the 2014 Naismith Trophy, which is awarded annually to the nation’s top collegiate basketball player.

The Wade Trophy, now in its 37^th year, is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. This most prestigious award, regarded as “The Heisman of Women’s Basketball”, debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women’s national player of the year award in college basketball.

Moore, a three-time Wade Trophy winner, is the last Husky to receive the accolade in 2010-11. Moore is joined by fellow winners Taurasi  (2002-03), Sue Bird (2001-02), Jennifer Rizzoti (1995-96) and Lobo (1994-95).

The Wade Trophy Finalists are as follows:

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