STANFORD, Calif. - Two from Stanford have earned spots on midseason watch lists for elite postseason awards, as both Lexie Hull and Kiana Williams are on the 30-woman list for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, awarded to the top player of the year, while Williams is one of 10 finalists for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, given to the nation's top shooting guard.
Hull has played her way on to the midseason team for the Naismith Trophy, as she currently leads the Cardinal both in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. She's also tops on the team with 37 steals, while ranking second with 45 assists so far this season. Hull featured a career-high 29 points in Stanford's overtime win over Colorado and has finished with double-digit points 17 times this year.
Hull and Williams are the only two Cardinal to start in every game for Stanford.
Stanford's leader in minutes per game, Williams averages 13.0 points and 3.9 assists per game. She's tops on the team, shooting 89 percent from the charity stripe, and recently put up a season-best 25-point performance against top-10 ranked UCLA.
The Cardinal returns to action this weekend for a trip to the mountains, visiting Utah and Colorado.
Naismith Trophy
Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the family of Naismith Awards annually recognizes the most outstanding men's and women's college and high school basketball players and coaches. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the men's and women's college basketball defensive players of the year, as well as lifetime achievement awards to basketball officials and outstanding contributors to the game. UCLA's Lew Alcindor received the first Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1969, while the late Anne Donovan (Old Dominion) was the inaugural women's recipient in 1983.
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award (Basketball HOF/WBCA)
Named after the first player, male or female, named to the All-America Team in four straight college seasons, the annual award in its third year recognizes the top shooting guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
The Selection Committee for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. New to the award this season is Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. By mid-February, the watch list of 20 players for the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be narrowed to just 10. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Meyers Drysdale and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.
The winner of the 2020 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award will be presented at The College Basketball Awards presented by Wendy's in Los Angeles, Calif. on Friday, April 10, 2020, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Previous winners of the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award include Asia Durr, Louisville (2019) and Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State (2018).