Sept. 18, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State senior guard Tayler Hill has been named to the 25-member preseason watch list for the State Farm Wade Trophy, awarded each year to the top player in women's college basketball.

Hill, who was a first team all-Big Ten selection last season and a member of the Big Ten's all-defensive team for the second consecutive year, led the Buckeyes with 20.4 points per game last season. She had the highest point-per-game increase in the Big Ten, going from 10.4 ppg her sophomore season to 20.4 ppg last year.

Hill scored in double-figures in all 32 games in 2011-12 and was a WBCA All-America honorable mention after finishing 13th nationally in scoring. She led the Big Ten with 2.5 3FGs in Big Ten play and ranked 12th nationally with a 41.3 percent clip from beyond the arc. The Minneapolis, Minn., native also ranked third in the Big Ten in steals (2.5) and led the Buckeyes with 81 overall.

Hill is one of four starters returning from last year's team that went 25-7 overall and tied for second in the Big Ten at 11-5. The season tips off Nov. 9 vs. Notre Dame in the Carrier Classic in Charleston, S.C.

The preseason list is composed of top NCAA Division I women's basketball players who best embody Wade's spirit from 18 institutions and eight conferences. A committee of coaches, administrators and media from across the United States compiled the list using the following criteria: game and season statistics, leadership, character, effect on their team and overall playing ability.

Now in its 36th year, the State Farm Wade Trophy is named in honor of the late, legendary three-time national champion Delta State University coach, Lily Margaret Wade. Regarded as "The Heisman of Women's Basketball," the award is presented annually to the NCAA® Division I Player of the Year by the National Association of Girls and Women in Sport (NAGWS) and the WBCA.