March 23, 2012
ATLANTA - The State Farm® Wade Trophy Committee, along with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and the National Association for Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS), announced today the 12 finalists in contention for The State Farm Wade Trophy, which is presented annually to the nation's most outstanding NCAA® Division I women's basketball player.
"I look forward to the naming of these finalists each year," said WBCA CEO Beth Bass. "These 12 finalists are the game's most elite players and exciting to watch. One of these talented student-athletes will be chosen to receive the sport's most prestigious award - the Wade Trophy."
The candidates were selected by a vote of committee members composed of leading basketball coaches, journalists and administrators. The committee will select the winner of The State Farm Wade Trophy from the 10-member NCAA Division I State Farm Coaches' All-America Team. The winner will be announced on during the WBCA Awards Show, which will be held at 5 p.m. MT Monday, April 2, in Denver. The event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®.
The State Farm Wade Trophy Finalists are as follows:
| Player Name | Institution | Year | Position |
| Elena Delle Donne | University of Delaware | Jr. | F |
| Skylar Diggins | University of Notre Dame | Jr. | G |
| Brittney Griner | Baylor University | Jr. | C |
| Shenise Johnson | University of Miami | Sr. | G |
| Anna Martin | DePaul University | Jr. | G |
| A'dia Mathies | University of Kentucky | Jr. | G |
| Chiney Ogwumike | Stanford University | So. | F |
| Nneka Ogwumike | Stanford University | Sr. | F |
| Samantha Prahalis | Ohio State University | Sr. | G |
| Odyssey Sims | Baylor University | So. | G |
| Alyssa Thomas | University of Maryland | So. | F |
| Julie Wojta | University of Wisconsin-Green Bay | Sr. | G/F |
"State Farm is extremely proud to recognize and congratulate these 12 outstanding athletes as finalists for The 2012 State Farm Wade Trophy," said Pam El, marketing vice president for State Farm. "Their dedication and commitment epitomize the true meaning of student-athlete and they are all very deserving of this great honor."
The State Farm Wade Trophy, now in its 35th year, is named after the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. This most prestigious award, regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball", debuted in 1978 as the first-ever women's national player of the year award in college basketball.
Last year's State Farm Wade Trophy winner was Connecticut's Maya Moore, who was the first student-athlete to win the award three consecutive years (2009, 2010, 2011.) The first recipient of the Wade Trophy was Carol Blazejowski of Montclair State in 1978. Other Wade Trophy/NCAA Division I Player of the Year recipients include many WNBA standouts such as Teresa Weatherspoon (1988), DeLisha Milton-Jones (1997), Candace Parker (2007), Ticha Penicheiro (1998), Sue Bird (2002) and Diana Taurasi (2003).
