Irish trio selected first team all Big East

Three Notre Dame women's basketball players were named to the all Big East first team.

Sophomore guard Skylar Diggins was one of just four unanimous first-team all-BIG EAST selections this season, following up on her second-team all-conference citation last year.  Junior guard Natalie Novosel and senior forward Devereaux Peters joined Diggins on the All-BIG EAST First Team, marking the first time in the 34-year history of the Notre Dame women’s basketball program that the Fighting Irish have had three players earn first-team all-conference honors in the same season.

In addition, Novosel was named the BIG EAST Most Improved Player while Peters was chosen as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, the first Fighting Irish player to earn that award since Ruth Riley’s three-year domination of the honor from 1999-2001.

Finally, freshman forward Natalie Achonwa was one of four unanimous selections for this year’s BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

“What a remarkable accomplishment by all four of these players, and what makes it even more special is that these awards are voted on by the other coaches in the conference,” Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw said. “It’s a testament to all the hard work that each of these players put in during the summer, as well as during preseason workouts and then all throughout this season. We couldn’t be prouder and we know that the best is still yet to come for each of them.”

The 16 BIG EAST head coaches voted for this year’s honors, but were not allowed to vote for their own players.

 Notre Dame will play at 8 p.m. (ET) Sunday against the winner of the second-round tournament game between No. 6 seed Louisville and the first-round winner between No. 11 seed Providence and No. 14 seed Villanova.  The Fighting Irish quarterfinal game will be televised live to a national cable audience on ESPNU.