Women's college basketball: Irish lead All-ACC picks
League champion Notre Dame landed two players on the All-ACC First Team and another on the second team.
Senior guard Kayla McBride and sophomore guard Jewell Loyd were each named first-team and senior post Natalie Achonwa was second-team.
Notre Dame (29-0, 16-0) led all league schools with three selections.
ACC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year awards will be announced Wednesday.
The ACC awards were selected through a vote of the ACC’s Blue Ribbon Panel, which consists of designated media members who cover the conference’s 15 institutions, the conference’s 15 head coaches and media relations directors, and other selected national and regional women’s basketball experts.
McBride was named first-team all-Big East last season as well. The All-America candidate averages 17.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
In nine games against Top 25 opponents this season, McBride has averaged 20.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
Loyd leads the Irish with 18.4 points a game, and she also averages 6.3 rebounds.
Achonwa missed the first three games of the season following knee surgery. She is averaging 14.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 blocks. She is fourth in the nation with a .610 shooting percentage.
First Team: Diamond DeShields, Fr., G, North Carolina; Markeisha Gatling, Sr., C, NC State; Dearica Hamby, Jr., F, Wake Forest; Natasha Howard, Sr., F, Florida State; Tricia Liston, Sr., G, Duke; Jewell Loyd, So., G, Notre Dame; Tyaunna Marshall, Sr., G, Georgia Tech; Kayla McBride, Sr., G, Notre Dame; Alyssa Thomas, Sr., F, Maryland; Elizabeth Williams, Jr., C/F, Duke
Second Team: Natalie Achonwa, Sr., F, Notre Dame; Kody Burke, Sr., F, NC State; Kaela Davis, Fr., G, Georgia Tech; Brittney Sykes, So., G, Syracuse; Uju Ugoka, Sr., F, Virginia Tech
All-Freshman Team: Lexie Brown, Fr., G, Maryland; Kaela Davis, Fr., G, Georgia Tech; Diamond DeShields, Fr., G, North Carolina; Allisha Gray, Fr., G North Carolina; Adrienne Motley, Fr. G, Miami