Villanova’s Maddy Siegrist named a finalist for Naismith Player of the Year Award

Siegrist, the two-time reigning Big East Player of the Year, was recently named a first-team All-American and leads the nation in scoring at 29.1 points per game.

Villanova's Maddy Siegrist is honored during a Big East Tournament game at Madison Square Garden on March 8. She was the Big East player of the year and its female scholar of the year.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

by Gustav Elvin

Published March 21, 2023, 1:09 p.m. ET

Both the men’s and women’s Naismith Trophy finalists were announced on Tuesday afternoon, and to absolutely no one’s surprise, Villanova star Maddy Seigrist was listed among the four finalists on the women’s side.

Siegrist, the two-time reigning Big East Player of the Year, was recently named a first-team All-American and leads the nation in scoring at 29.1 points per game. She has scored at least 20 points in all 36 of Villanova’s games this season, including 31 on Monday night to help the Wildcats defeat Florida Gulf Coast and advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2003.

Being named a finalist for the Naismith Trophy is just the latest honor for the senior forward. Earlier this season, she brokeboth Villanova and Big East career scoring records (men and women), and earlier this week, she became just the fifth woman ever to score 1,000 points in a single season at the Division 1 level.

In addition to Siegrist, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston, and Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley were named the other women’s finalists. On the men’s side, Purdue center Zach Edey, Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, and Kansas’ Jalen Wilson are up for the award.

The women’s Naismith Trophy will be presented on March 29 in Dallas during the Final Four while the men’s award will be handed out four days later in Houston at a luncheon the day before the NCAA men’s title game.