March 19, 2008

ATLANTA - The Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), in cooperation with State Farm, announced the 52 regional finalists today (Mar. 19) for the 2008 State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The State Farm Coaches' All-America Team selection committee will review these 52 candidates and cut the list to 40 finalists on Thursday, March 20. The 40 finalists will all be in the running for selection to the 10-member State Farm Coaches' All-America Team.

Bowling Green State University senior tri-captain Kate Achter is one of four Mid-American Conference players to earn placement on the Region 4 Finalist list. Achter, the reigning MAC Player of the Year, has tallied 671 assists as a Falcon and is just three helpers short of setting a new school record. If she were to claim the career assist mark, Achter would graduate a top the assist, free throws made and free throws taken charts. Todate, she ranks fourth, eighth and sixth in the respective career statistical categories at the Mid-American Conference level.

Achter is just the second Falcon to earn Regional recognition in a decade. Last season Ali Mann garnered the award also.

In an effort to establish a fair number of candidates from each region, an equation to determine the number of regional nominees was formulated. The total number of Division I institutions in each region is divided by the total number of Division I institutions to get a percentage for each region. Multiply 52 (the total number of desired finalists) by the percentage to get a total number of finalists for each region. The 52 regional finalists then go before the selection committee where the list is reduced to 40 finalists. These 40 finalists can come from any region.

The State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Press Conference at the Tampa Hyatt Regency on April 5, at 9:45 a.m. (ET) in Tampa, Fla.

About State Farm
State Farm insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve over 75 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.6 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com or in Canada statefarm.ca.

About the WBCA
Founded in 1981, the WBCA promotes women's basketball by unifying coaches at all levels to develop a reputable identity for the sport and to foster and promote the development of the game as a sport for women and girls. For additional information about the WBCA, please visit wbca.org.

Some information courtesy of the WBCA

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