April 23, 2003

PHILADELPHIA, PA. - On Tuesday night, April 22, at the annual Big Five Awards Banquet, the Villanova women's basketball team was well represented as four Wildcats received postseason accolades. Villanova took home two of the night's major awards as Head Coach Harry Perretta was named the Big Five Coach of the Year, and senior guard Trish Juhline was voted Player of the Year.

Juhline and fellow Wildcat senior Katie Davis were named to the All-Big Five first team on Tuesday night. Junior guard Courtney Mix received All-Big Five second team status. Kelly Nash was also honored, as the junior was named to the Big Five All-Academic Team. Villanova had a storybook season in 2002-2003, winning the Big East Tournament Championship, advancing to the Elite Eight and finishing the year ranked No. 8 in the nation in the final ESPN/USA Today Women's NCAA Division I poll. The Wildcats ended the season with a 28-6 overall record.

The Wildcats team finished the regular season with a record of 22-5 overall, 12-4 in the Big East. They marched through the Big East Tournament to meet No. 1 UConn in the Conference Championship. It was there that Villanova did the unthinkable, defeating the Huskies 52-48 to win the Big East title and end Connecticut's 70-game winning streak.

For their stellar season, Villanova was awarded a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With victories over St. Francis (Pa.), George Washington and Colorado, the Wildcats advanced to the Elite Eight, which made not only school history, but also city history marking the first time ever that a Big Five Women's Basketball team has advanced to the field of eight.