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ATLANTA, GA – Today, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced the 30 players in the running for the Citizen Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year honor and UCLA seniors Jordin Canada and Monique Billings have each made the list. From this list, the Naismith Awards Board of Selectors will identify the 10 national semifinalists, to be announced on Feb. 26.  Then, four finalists will be revealed on March 14. Fans will be able to support their favorite player by visiting naismithtrophy.com/vote between March 19-30 to cast their ballot, and the fan component counts for 5 percent of the overall final vote. The Citizen Naismith Trophy for Women's Player of the Year will be announced on March 31.
 
"It was challenging to narrow down the list of outstanding players to this team of 30," said Eric Oberman, executive director of the Atlanta Tipoff Club. "All of these women have shown immense talent, and we look forward to seeing them play in the final weeks of the regular season as they compete for the Citizen Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year honor."
 
"The Citizen Naismith Trophy celebrates the accomplishments of student-athletes who demonstrate through their play the inner drive and passion that mirrors that of our company's founding members—Better Starts Now," said Eric Horowitz, managing director U.S. and travel retail, Citizen Watch Company of America, Inc.  "These 30 exceptional women have enjoyed tremendous seasons thus far and are deserving to be on this list, with an eye on advancing to the next round."
 
Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy Late Season Team

NAME	CLASS	POSITION	SCHOOL	CONFERENCE
Kristine Anigwe	Jr.	C/F	California	Pac-12
Ariel Atkins	Sr.	G	Texas	Big 12
Monique Billings	Sr.	F	UCLA	Pac-12
Kalani Brown	Jr.	C	Baylor	Big 12
Lexie Brown	Sr.	G	Duke	ACC
Jordin Canada	Sr.	G	UCLA	Pac-12
Chennedy Carter	Fr.	G	Texas A&M	Big 12
Kaila Charles	So.	G	Maryland	Big Ten
Napheesa Collier	Jr.	F	UConn	AAC
Sophie Cunningham	Jr.	G	Missouri	SEC
Asia Durr	Jr.	G	Louisville	ACC
Katelynn Flaherty	Sr.	G	Michigan	Big Ten
Marie Gulich	Sr.	C	Oregon State	Pac-12
Megan Gustafson	Jr.	F	Iowa	Big Ten
Ruthy Hebard	So.	F	Oregon	Pac-12
Myisha Hines-Allen	Sr.	F	Louisville	ACC
Sabrina Ionescu	So.	G	Oregon	Pac-12
Brooke McCarty	Sr.	G	Texas	Big 12
Teaira McCowan	Jr.	C	Mississippi State	SEC
Brittany McPhee	Sr.	G	Stanford	Pac-12
Kelsey Mitchell	Sr.	G	Ohio State	Big Ten
Jaime Nared	Sr.	G	Tennessee	SEC
Kia Nurse	Sr.	G	UConn	AAC
Arike Ogunbowale	Jr.	G	Notre Dame	ACC
Mercedes Russell	Sr.	C	Tennessee	SEC
Katie Lou Samuelson	Jr.	G/F	UConn	AAC
Shakayla Thomas	Sr.	F	Florida State	ACC
Victoria Vivians	Sr.	G	Mississippi State	SEC
Gabby Williams	Sr.	F	UConn	AAC
A'ja Wilson	Sr.	F	South Carolina	SEC

 
With the competition narrowing down to only 30 players, six conferences across the country are represented. The Pac-12 conference leads the late season team with seven players, and the SEC follows closely with six players on the team. UConn, which has won more Citizen Naismith Trophies (10) than any other school, continues to lead the competition with four players listed, followed by Louisville, Mississippi State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and UCLA with two candidates apiece.
 
ABOUT THE ATLANTA TIPOFF CLUB
Celebrating 50 Years of the Citizen Naismith Trophy
Founded during the 1956-57 season, the Atlanta Tipoff Club is committed to promoting the game of basketball and recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of those who make the game so exciting. The Atlanta Tipoff Club administers the Naismith Awards, which have become the most prestigious national honors in all of college basketball. Named in honor of Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the game of basketball, the Naismith Trophy recognizes the top Men's and Women's College Basketball Players of the Year. Other Naismith Awards are presented to the Men's and Women's College Basketball Coaches of the Year, Boys' and Girls' High School Basketball Players and Coaches of the Year, Basketball Officials and Outstanding Contributors to the game. Celebrating its 50th year by honoring past winners, the Citizen Naismith Trophy was first presented to UCLA's Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in 1969. Old Dominion's Anne Donovan won the inaugural Women's Citizen Naismith Trophy in 1983.

ABOUT CITIZEN
Citizen, a pioneer in watchmaking and innovative technology since 1918, promotes excellence and creativity with a deep-rooted respect for craftsmanship. Citizen advocates "Better Starts Now," searching for and accomplishing goals that are cause driven. In this respect, Citizen aligns with organizations and personalities that reflect the values of the brand including the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, Naismith Awards, National Merit Scholarship, and Good360.
 
For over 40 years, Citizen's Eco-Drive technology has served as the prime example of how the brand is dedicated to making the world and its environment a better place. A simple yet revolutionary concept, Eco-Drive harnesses the power of light from any natural or artificial light source and converts it into energy, eliminating the need for any battery replacement.