The 2008-09 Big West All-Conference Teams were announced today, with UC Riverside senior Kemie Nkele earning Big West Player of the Year honors, UC Davis' Lauren Juric picking up Big West Freshman of the Year accolades and UC Santa Barbara head coach Lindsay Gottlieb receiving the Big West Coach of the Year award.

Finishing her Highlander career in fine fashion, Nkele adds another accolade to her already impressive resume with her second player of the year selection. In 2007 the San Diego, Calif., earned her first Big West Player of the Year honor. After redshirting the 2007-08 season due to an injury, Nkele came back stronger than ever to earn this year’s honor and in the process became the first athlete since Erin Buescher (UCSB, 1998-2000) to collect multiple awards. Nkele, who eclipsed the 2,000-point threshold in the final week of the regular season, paces the Big West Conference with an 18.7 scoring average and ranks second in rebounding with 8.1 boards per contest. The 6-1 forward holds the league's second-best block average of 1.59 to guide the Highlanders to the top spot in the Big West. Nkele was consistent throughout the season, picking up four Big West Player of the Week honors to increase her career total to 10, ranking her third all-time in the Big West. Her success while donning the blue and gold is showcased throughout the Big West record books, as she holds top 10 spots in multiple categories, including career scoring, career rebounds and career blocks.

The freshman of the year recipient, Juric, not only ranks second on the Aggie squad with a 5.5 rebound average but holds the 11th spot in the Big West Conference. The Grass Valley, Calif., native is one of three UC Davis players ranked in the top 10 in three-point field goal percentage. Her .392 mark leads the trio of Aggies and places her third overall. Juric tallied two of UC Davis’ three double-doubles on the season with 14 points and 11 boards at Sacramento State (12/13) and 14 points and 12 rebounds versus UC Riverside (2/7). Averaging 27.6 minutes per contest, Juric played in all 28 UC Davis contests, starting 26.

In her first season at the helm of the UC Santa Barbara women’s basketball program, Gottlieb guided the Gauchos to their second consecutive conference title with a 15-1 mark to earn coach of the year accolades. She becomes the first UC Santa Barbara award winner since the 2002-03 season when Mark French collected his seventh honor of his career. Along with the conference title, UC Santa Barbara receives the No. 1 seed in the Big West Tournament that starts Wednesday, March 11. With an overall record of 20-9, the Gauchos have won 20 games for the 12th time in the past 14 seasons.

The 2009 Big West First Team highlights a few familiar faces in Nkele and UC Santa Barbara's Jenna Green. With this year's honor, Nkele becomes the fourth four-time All-Big West First Teamer in conference history. Green, UC Santa Barbara's rebound leader, is also a multiple winner as she collects her third first team selection. She is joined by teammate Lauren Pedersen, who paces the Gauchos with a 12.8 scoring average and owns a league-high .868 free throw percentage and 2.34 steal average.

Accompanying Nkele and the Gaucho duo on the All-Big West First Team list is Paige Mintun (UC Davis), Kristina Santiago (Cal Poly) and Amber Simmons (Pacific). Mintun and Simmons both lead their respective schools in both scoring and rebounding. Mintun averages 13.0 points and 6.2 rebounds, while Simmons registers 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest. Santiago owns the league's third best scoring average (15.6).

2008-09 BIG WEST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

2008-09 BIG WEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kemie Nkele, UC Riverside

2008-09 BIG WEST FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Lauren Juric, UC Davis

2008-09 BIG WEST COACH OF THE YEAR
Lindsay Gottlieb, UC Santa Barbara

FIRST TEAM
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Jenna Green*	UC Santa Barbara	C	6-4	Sr.	San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS
Paige Mintun	UC Davis	P	6-2	So.	Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center HS
Kemie Nkele**	UC Riverside	F	6-1	Sr.	San Diego, Calif./Mira Mesa HS
Lauren Pedersen	UC Santa Barbara	G	5-10	Sr.	Brea, Calif./UCLA
Kristina Santiago	Cal Poly	F	6-1	So.	Santa Maria, Calif./ Righetti HS
Amber Simmons	Pacific	F	6-0	Sr.	Chico, Calif./Chico State
SECOND TEAM
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Whitney Fields	Long Beach State	F	6-1	Jr.	Miami, Fla./Arizona
Seyram Gbewonyo	UC Riverside	G	5-10	Sr.	Sylmar, Calif./Sylmar HS
Megan Harrison	Cal Poly	F	6-1	Sr.	Dripping Springs,Texas/Dripping Springs HS
Toni Thomas	Cal State Fullerton	F/C	5-10	Sr.	San Bernardino, Calif./A.B. Miller HS
Janae Young	Pacific	F	6-0	Sr.	Sacramento, Calif./Delta College
HONORABLE MENTION
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Jordan Franey	UC Santa Barbara	G/F	6-0	Jr.	San Diego, Calif./Santana HS
Roney Friend	UC Riverside	F	6-0	Sr.	Los Angeles, Calif./Bishop Montgomery HS
Lauren Juric	UC Davis	W	6-2	Fr.	Grass Valley, Calif./Bear River HS
Rebecca Maessen	UC Irvine	G	5-10	Jr.	Nijmegen, Netherlands/Antelope Valley CC
Lisa McBride	Cal Poly	G	6-2	Sr.	Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells HS
Kasey Riecks	UC Davis	W	5-11	Fr.	Auburn, Calif./Placer HS
Lauren Sims	Long Beach State	G	5-9	Jr.	Fullerton, Calif./Troy HS
Tonicia Tademy	Cal State Northridge	G	5-5	Sr.	Corona, Calif./Mt. San Antonio JC
Gretchen Tiernan	Pacific	G	5-9	So.	Roseville, Calif./American River College
ALL FRESHMAN TEAM
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown/Previous School
Jasmine Erving	Cal State Northridge	C	6-2	Fr.	Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach HS
Emilie Johnson	UC Santa Barbara	G	5-6	Fr.	Loomis, Calif./Del Oro HS
Lauren Juric	UC Davis	W	6-2	Fr.	Grass Valley, Calif./ Bear River HS
Megan Richardson	Cal State Fullerton	G	5-10	Fr.	Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS
Kasey Riecks	UC Davis	W	5-11	Fr.	Auburn, Calif./Placer HS
Adelle Walton	Long Beach State	G	5-7	Fr.	El Cajon, Calif./Parker HS

*Three-time All-Big West First Team selection

**Four-time All-Big West First Team selection