University of Montana senior Mandy Morales capped her career Tuesday by being named an honorable mention Associated Press All-American. Morales made Lady Griz history by becoming the program’s first four-time honorable mention all-American.
Morales was recognized by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association as a freshman, sophomore and junior and by the Associated Press as a sophomore and senior.
Morales, the Big Sky Conference MVP as a sophomore and senior, led Montana to 101 wins in her four years and finished with 1,959 points and 587 assists, which rank second and tied for second on the Lady Griz career lists.
Morales was a four-time unanimous first team All-Big Sky Conference selection and the Big Sky tournament MVP as a junior and senior. She led Montana to three regular-season Big Sky titles and two NCAA tournament appearances.
Montana went 28-5 in 2008-09 to match a program record for single-season wins. The Lady Griz won the Big Sky’s regular-season title with a 15-1 league record, hosted and won the conference tournament and advanced to the program’s 18th NCAA tournament, where No. 13 Montana lost a first-round game to No. 4 Pittsburgh, 64-35, in Seattle, Wash.
Morales averaged 16.9 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in her final season.
Montana faced a player from each of the Associated Press’s three All-America teams this season and two players from the honorable mention list. Kristi Toliver of Maryland made the first team, Marissa Coleman of Maryland made the second team and Shavonte Zellous of Pittsburgh made the third team.
Jennifer Warkenthien of South Dakota State and Courtney Vandersloot of Gonzaga joined Morales on the 32-player honorable mention list.
First team
Maya Moore, sophomore, Connecticut
Courtney Paris, senior, Oklahoma
Angel McCoughtry, senior, Louisville
Kristi Toliver, senior, Maryland
Renee Montgomery, senior, Connecticut
Second team
DeWanna Bonner, senior, Auburn
Jayne Appel, junior, Stanford
Marissa Coleman, senior, Maryland
Jantel Lavender, sophomore, Ohio State
Tina Charles, junior, Connecticut
Third team
Shavonte Zellous, senior, Pittsburgh
Ashley Walker, senior, California
Epiphanny Prince, junior, Rutgers
Chante Black, senior, Duke
Alysha Clark, junior, Middle Tennessee State
Honorable mention
Whitney Boddie, Auburn; Jessica Breland, North Carolina; Sha Brooks, Florida; Kristi Cirone, Illinois State; Robyn Fairbanks, Utah Valley; Rachele Fitz, Marist; Megan Frazee, Liberty; Danielle Gant, Texas A&M; Alexis Gray-Lawson, California; Allison Hightower, LSU; Ify Ibekwe, Arizona; Briann January, Arizona State; Laura Kurz, Villanova; Shalee Lehning, Kansas State; Lyndra Littles, Virginia; Rashanda McCants, North Carolina; Danielle McCray, Kansas; Mandy Morales, Montana; Deirdre Naughton, DePaul; Ashley Paris, Oklahoma; Ta’Shia Phillips, Xavier; Tracy Pontius, Bowling Green; Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State; Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma; Takia Starks, Texas A&M; Morgan Warburton, Utah; Jennifer Warkenthien, South Dakota State; Courtney Vandersloot, Gonzaga; Danielle Wilson, Baylor; Christina Wirth, Vanderbilt; Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, Purdue; Monica Wright, Virginia.