After a perfect conference record in its first season in the Big Ten, the No. 4 Maryland women's basketball team received a handful of individual honors Monday night. Most notably, Brenda Frese was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in separate voting among her peers and the media.
It's the second time Frese has won Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. She won in 2001-02 with Minnesota, where she oversaw the biggest single-season turnaround in conference history. After that season, Frese left for Maryland, where she was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year in 2012-13.
"I've always believed Coach of the Year is about the team, but I think what will separate this award is just how this team went about it," Frese said. "To go undefeated in a new conference and everything they had to go through within the season, it says a lot. It's something that I'll truly remember."
After a 69-48 win at then-No. 25 Northwestern on Sunday, (27-2, 18-0) became the third team to go unbeaten in the Big Ten and first since Purdue went 16-0 in 1998-99. The Boilermakers won the national championship that season. The only other team to go 18-0 in the Big Ten was Ohio State in 1984-85.
Also recognized Monday were sophomores Lexie Brown and Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, both selected first-team All-Big Ten by coaches and the media. Brown averaged 13.8 points and 5.8 assists in conference games as the starting point guard. Walker-Kimbrough, a starting guard-forward, led the Terps in scoring (14.9) in Big Ten games and shot 54 percent.
Sophomore center Brionna Jones (Aberdeen) was voted to the first team by coaches and the second team by the media. Redshirt senior Laurin Mincy was named to the second team by both voting bodies.
Maryland is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament and earned a double-bye. Its first game will be at 12:30 p.m. Friday, against the winner of the game between No. 8 seed Michigan and No. 9 Michigan State.
"These honors come when you put in the hard work," Frese said. "It's our job as a staff."