March 8, 2004
IOWA CITY – Iowa senior Jennie Lillis has been named one of 10 semi-finalists for the second annual Creamland Diaries Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence.
The Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence honors college seniors for their athletic and academic achievement, as well as their community involvement. The award, in its second year, was first presented in Albuquerque after the 2002-03 basketball season. Last year’s winners were Matt Bonner of Florida who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and Tiffany Kyser of IUPUI. This year’s award will be presented on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at an awards dinner at the Albuquerque Marriott. Jimmy Dykes, ESPN College Basketball Analyst will emcee the event.
Lillis was recently selected to the all-Big Ten second team by both the media and coaches, marking the third time she has earned all-Big Ten accolades. The native of Urbandale, IA, is only the second Hawkeye player (Cindy Haugejorde) to amass 1,700 points and 800 rebounds. In addition, Lillis is one of only three Hawkeyes to score 300 points or more all four years (Haugejorde and Lindsey Meder). The three-time captain ranks fifth in Iowa career scoring (1,740) and rebounding (817), third in blocks (110), sixth in steals (187) and eighth in assists (295).
“The process of narrowing down all the nominees to the 10 semi-finalists was difficult because of the many exceptional candidates, but we are extremely proud of the 20 individuals who made our semi-finalist list,” said Dan Ballou, Director of Sports Marketing for ACVB. “We are pleased that our semi-finalists represent all regions of the country and a diverse group of conferences. The students on the list all have outstanding credentials and the selection of the three finalists is going to be another difficult task, but one that will be very rewarding.”
Iowa is 16-12 overall and will know its post-season fate on Sunday.
Semi-finalists — Women
Courtney Davidson, Navy
Caton Hill, Oklahoma
Jennie Lillis, Iowa
Sara Nord, Louisville
Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State
Hana Peljto, Harvard
Christi Thomas, Georgia
Evan Unrau, Missouri
Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota
Corinne Wong, Pacific