March 7, 2005

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Big West Conference announced its 2004-05 women's basketball postseason awards on Monday, bestowing honors upon four members of league champion UC Santa Barbara.

Leading the way was senior forward Kristen Mann, who became the seventh Gaucho in the past nine years named Big West Player of the Year and ninth overall. It is the first such honor for the Santa Ana, Calif., native, who has now earned first team all-conference acclaim each of the past three years; only four previous UCSB players have achieved that feat. Mann is in the midst of compiling one of the greatest statistical seasons in school history, with averages of 19.5 points and 9.7 rebounds that both rank among the top-25 nationally. She has scored in double-figures 25 times, paced the Santa Barbara offense on in 18 different games and amassed 13 of her 28 career double-doubles. She entered the season as a candidate for all three national player of the year awards.

Mann's fellow seniors also garnered the highest honors of their four-year careers. After three seasons as an honorable mention recipient, guard Mia Fisher earned a spot on the All-Big West Second Team. The native of Pleasanton, Calif., ranks ninth in the league at 13.0 points per contest, while her 47.5% field goal mark is third-best. Fisher and Mann are just the fourth and fifth players in Gaucho annals to receive All-Big West acclaim for four straight seasons.

Also included on the all-conference second team was UCSB senior forward Brandy Richardson, an honorable mention performer in both 2002-03 and 2003-04. Her 8.3 rebounds per game average is seventh-best among all Big West players, while the Aiea, Hawai'i native has also averaged 6.8 points per tilt, highest of her Gaucho career. Richardson made the second team despite missing the final five regular season games with a left ankle injury.

Finally, Jessica Wilson earned a spot on the five-player Big West All-Freshman team. The guard from Sacramento, Calif., has posted modest season averages of 3.9 points and 2.9 rebounds, but has upped those numbers to 7.0 and 4.5 during Santa Barbara's current eight-game winning streak. UCSB has featured at least one all-freshman honoree in eight of the past nine years.

In 2004-05 the Gauchos have posted a 19-8 overall record and captured their unprecedented 10th straight Big West regular season title with a 16-2 league mark. UCSB currently owns the longest run of outright conference titles in the entire nation. Santa Barbara - which has seen its players miss a total of 109 games due to injury or illness this year - will next be in action on Friday, March 11 in the semifinals of the Big West Tournament in Anaheim, Calif. As the No. 1 seed, UCSB has earned a pair of byes in the event and will open against the lowest remaining seed at 12:00 p.m. in the Anaheim Convention Center. The Gauchos have won the past eight Big West tourney titles dating back to 1997, earning an equal number of NCAA Tournament appearances.

For the complete list of 2004-05 All-Big West honorees, please visit www.bigwest.org.