STANFORD, Calif. – DiJonai Carrington, Alanna Smith, Kiana Williams and Lacie Hull received recognition from the league's media when their award votes were announced by the conference office on Wednesday morning.
The Pac-12 media awards are in their 10th year and are in addition to the conference awards voted on by the league's coaches, which were announced yesterday. The panel included both local and national media members.
Carrington was awarded All-Pac-12 honors by the press averaging career highs in points (13.7) and rebounds (7.6) and increasing her shooting percentages across the board. The junior has scored 20+ points three times this season and in double figures in 23 of Stanford's 29 games. She's pulled down 10 or more rebounds in eight games, put up six double-doubles and is one of four Power 5 conference players in the country under 6'0" averaging 13.0 points and 7.0 rebounds along with Sabrina Ionescu (Oregon), Anriel Howard (Mississippi St.) and Mikayla Pivec (Oregon State).
In the Cardinal's second of three top-10 wins this season, Carrington had a career-high 33 points and 13-rebounds in a 95-85 victory at No. 9 Tennessee on Dec. 18. She was 11-of-15 (.733) from the floor and 4-of-5 (.800) from deep and became just the second player in the last 20 years to have 33 points, 13 rebounds and four made 3-pointers against a ranked opponent.
Smith, who Monday was named the Pac-12's Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earned her second media All-Pac-12 recognition and first all-defensive team nod. She is on every major watch list including the Katrina McClain Award, Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy, Wade Trophy and Senior CLASS Award, and has backed up that recognition with her play. Smith is shooting 51.7 percent from the field (215-of-416), 39.9 percent from behind the arc (65-of-163) and averaging a team-high 19.7 points per game to go with 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
Smith is attempting to become just the fifth player in program history to average 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in a season, joining Chiney Ogwumike (2013-14 and 2012-13), Nneka Ogwumike (2011-12), Nicole Powell (2003-04) and Jeanne Ruark Hoff (1979-80 and 1978-79). She is also tracking to join Elena Delle Donne as the only players 6'4" and taller over the past 20 years to shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range for an entire season. Delle Donne made 41.3 percent as a freshman at Delaware in 2009-10 (NCAA minimum of two made 3-pointers per game).
The 6-foot-4 Smith is 13th in school history in scoring (1,576) and second in blocks (218) and this season is 28th in the country in scoring (19.7) and 19th in blocks per game (2.45), the only player in the NCAA in the top 30 in both categories. She is one of six players to have 60+ 3-pointers and 60+ blocks in a single season across all of NCAA women's basketball since 1999-00 and with five more makes from deep would be just the second to accumulate 70 3-pointers and 70 blocks in a season. Her 71 rejections this year are second in Stanford history behind Jayne Appel's 84 in 2007-08.
Williams moved up to the full All-Pac-12 team this year after being an Pac-12 All-Freshman pick by the media a year ago. She's slid over from her natural position of shooting guard to run point this season due to injury and hasn't skipped a beat. Williams is among the 10 remaining candidates for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, is second on the team in scoring (14.0 points per game) and had four of her five 20-point games this season in conference.
The sophomore collected her first career double-double with 21 points and 10 assists in the Jan. 6 win against UCLA, Stanford's first 20-point, 10-assist double-double since Jeanette Pohlen had 21 and 12 in a win over USC on Jan. 22, 2011. She is also averaging 4.7 assists per game, which is ninth in the conference. No Stanford player has averaged 4.5 assists in a season since Pohlen in 2010-11 (4.8).
Williams, whose 71 3-pointers last season where the second-most for a freshman in Stanford history, has made another 70 this year and is 10 away from entering the program's single-season top 10.
Lacie Hull entered the Cardinal's starting lineup 23 games ago and hasn't left. The media all-freshman team selection is averaging 5.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while often handling the defensive assignment on the opponent's most dangerous perimeter player. She had seven steals in a win over American on Nov. 24, the fourth-most in a game in Stanford history and second among the nation's freshmen this season.
Hull was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 24 after she put together a brilliant performance in Stanford's 95-85 road win at No. 9 Tennessee, scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from deep.
Stanford, the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Pac-12 Tournament, has a bye into the quarterfinals and will play the winner of No. 7 Cal and No. 10 Washington State on Friday, March 8 at 6 p.m.
