The awards and recognition just keeps rolling in for senior guard Monica Wright, who was just named today the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She is the first Cavalier to receive this honor since the award was first put into place for the 2004-05 season. She was selected by the league's 12 women's basketball head coaches.
Wright, a senior from Woodbridge, Va., rapidly ascended to the top of the league's career scoring list this season, currently owning 2,474 points to stand in third place all-time. This season, Wright ranks among the ACC leaders in several categories, including ranking first in steals with 104 thefts in 29 games for a 3.6 steals per game average.
Additionally, Wright, who was an All-ACC Defensive Team selection as a sophomore in 2007-08, leads all league scorers with 23.0 points per mark, and is the only player to average better than 20.0 points per game this season. Underneath the boards, the three-time All-ACC performer ranks 11th with 6.3 rebounds per game, including 4.3 average on the defensive end, and stands second with an 80.7 (151-of-157) free-throw shooting percentage going into the 33rd Annual ACC Women's Basketball Tournament.