LOS ANGELES – After leading her team to a third consecutive Final Four, Louisiana State University guard Seimone Augustus was named college basketball player of the year and awarded the prestigious John R. Wooden Women’s Award in a ceremony this morning at The Los Angeles Athletic Club. Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller made the announcement during a national CBS telecast of the “John R. Wooden Award Show Presented by TIAA-CREF”.

The second player to be honored with the Women’s Wooden Award, and the first repeat winner, Augustus finished ahead of other finalists including Duke’s Monique Currie, Rutgers’ Cappie Pondexter, North Carolina’s Ivory Latta, and Courtney Paris of Oklahoma (see attached for complete vote tabulation). Augustus’s parents, Seymore and Kim, accepted the award on behalf of Seimone as she was traveling with Team USA to compete in an international tournament in Australia. The ceremony also featured Duke’s J.J. Redick receiving the Men’s Wooden Award, and Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim who received the 2006 John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” Award.

“Augustus has again proven herself as the most valuable player in the nation after guiding LSU to another SEC title and the Final Four,” said Wooden Award Director Mike Solum. “We are tremendously proud to crown her a repeat winner of the prestigious Women’s Wooden Award.”

Augustus led the nation in scoring (23.0 ppg) while guiding LSU to a 31-4 record. Crowned SEC player of the year, she helped LSU capture the SEC regular-season title while becoming the NCAA’s all-time leader in double figure scoring, tallying 10 or more points in 132 of 140 career games. Augustus was selected as the top pick in Wednesday’s WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.

A panel of more than 200 voters comprised of sports media members and women’s college basketball experts from around the nation had until 3 p.m. EST on Monday, March 27 to cast their votes for both the five-member All-American Team and Wooden Award recipient as the nation’s most outstanding women’s collegiate basketball player. In addition to on-court performance, voters were also asked to make their selections based on each candidate’s character and academic achievements, essential components of the Wooden Award. The Wooden Award opts for the March 27 deadline because it allows voters to evaluate players up until the Elite Eight has been determined.

The top five finalists will receive a contribution from the John R. Wooden Award Scholarship Fund in their name to their university’s general scholarship fund.