March 14, 2005

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - For the second consecutive season, the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA) and the Eastman Kodak Company has named UC Santa Barbara senior forward Kristen Mann as one of 48 finalists for the 2004 NCAA Division I All-America Team.

Mann, a 6'2" forward from Santa Ana, Calif., is one of six Kodak/WBCA All-America finalists from Region 8, which encompasses teams from the Big West, Pacific 10 and West Coast Conferences. The other Region 8 honorees are Nikki Blue (UCLA), Catherine Kraayeveld (Oregon), Shawntinice Polk (Arizona), Dee-Dee Wheeler (Arizona) and Candice Wiggins (Stanford). The six-player Kodak/WBCA All-America Team will be announced on April 2 during the NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.

This marks the fourth straight season a Gaucho has earned this prestigious award. In addition to Mann's selection in 2003-04, Lindsay Taylor was a 2002-03 Region 8 All-American while Kayte Christensen garnered the same acclaim in 2001-02.

In 2004-05 Mann was named Big West Player of the Year and is enjoying one of the finest statistical seasons in UCSB history, averaging 19.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Those marks both rank among the national leaders, and have helped her record 14 of her 28 career double-doubles. Mann has scored in double-figures 27 times this season - including 14 games with at least 20-plus points - and has paced the Santa Barbara offense on 19 occasions. She currently ranks fourth in Gaucho history with 1,693 points and also appears on the school's top-10 lists for career rebounds, field goals made and three-pointers made. Mann is a candidate for all three major National Player of the Year honors - the John R. Wooden Award, Wade Trophy and Naismith Award - and was named one of 10 Preseason All-Americans by the Women's Basketball News Service.

Mann and her UCSB teammates will open NCAA Tournament play in Fresno, Calif., on Saturday, March 19 at approximately 1:30 p.m. against fourth-seeded Notre Dame. The Gauchos - seeded 13th in the Tempe Regional this year - are making their ninth consecutive appearance in the Big Dance after capturing their ninth Big West Tournament title in a row.