WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Purdue Sports) — Juniors Ae'Rianna Harris and Dominique Oden were named to the 2018-19 Preseason All-Big Ten team Monday, becoming the first Boilermaker duo to be named to the women's basketball preseason squad since 2000. Purdue and Iowa were the only two teams with two players on both the coaches and media all-conference teams, while Minnesota had a pair announced on the media side.
"It's exciting to see not just one, but two of our players recognized by the coaches and media," said Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp. "They had outstanding sophomore seasons, and these honors reflect peoples' anticipation of more to come in 2018-19. We can't wait to get them back out on the floor."
The last time Purdue had two players on the preseason all-conference squad was the 2000-01 season, when seniors Camille Cooper and Katie Douglas were tabbed by the coaches and media, and the Boilermakers went on to the NCAA Final Four and championship game.
Both Harris and Oden were consensus Second Team All-Big Ten picks in 2017-18, while Harris became the third player in program history to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors. Harris led the Big Ten with 105 blocked shots, second-most in a season all-time at Purdue, and was fourth in the conference with 304 rebounds. Despite a slow start to the year, Oden finished 17th in the conference and tops for the Boilermakers at 14.1 points per game and scored at least 20 points in nine of the Boilermakers' final 15 games of the season. Oden is one-of-two sophomores in Boilermaker history to post at least nine 20-point games in conference and postseason play, joining three-time All-American Shereka Wright.
Iowa's Megan Gustafson was picked as the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year by both the coaches and media, while Maryland was named the conference's preseason favorite by both entities. The Hawkeyes were in the No. 2 slot on both polls, while Michigan was tabbed third by the coaches and Minnesota had the No. 3 spot from the media.
The Boilermakers open their season Sunday, Nov. 4, hosting Ashland University for an exhibition contest at Mackey Arena, the first of 18 scheduled home contests for the Old Gold & Black. Purdue's first official home contest is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 11 as Harvard comes to West Lafayette for the first-ever meeting between the two schools. For more information visit the full Purdue schedule at PudueSports.com.
2018-19 COACHES BIG TEN PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Maryland
2. Iowa
3. Michigan
2018-19 COACHES PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM*
Alex Wittinger, Sr., F, Illinois
Kathleen Doyle, Jr., G, Iowa
MEGAN GUSTAFSON, Sr., F, Iowa
KAILA CHARLES, Jr., G, Maryland
HALLIE THOME, Sr., C, Michigan
Shay Colley, Jr., G, Michigan State
KENISHA BELL, Sr., G, Minnesota
Hannah Whitish, Jr., G, Nebraska
Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Sr., F, Northwestern
Teniya Page, Sr., G, Penn State
Ae'Rianna Harris, Jr., F, Purdue
Dominique Oden, Jr., G, Purdue
2018-19 COACHES BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Megan Gustafson, Sr., F, Iowa
2018-19 MEDIA BIG TEN PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Maryland
2. Iowa
3. Minnesota
2018-19 MEDIA PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN TEAM*
Alex Wittinger, Sr., F, Illinois
Kathleen Doyle, Jr., G, Iowa
MEGAN GUSTAFSON, Sr., F, Iowa
KAILA CHARLES, Jr., G, Maryland
Hallie Thome, Sr., C, Michigan
Kenisha Bell, Sr., G, Minnesota
Destiny Pitts, So., G/F, Minnesota
Hannah Whitish, Jr., G, Nebraska
Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah, Sr., F, Northwestern
Teniya Page, Sr., G, Penn State
Ae'Rianna Harris, Jr., F, Purdue
Dominique Oden, Jr., G, Purdue
2018-19 MEDIA BIG TEN PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Megan Gustafson, Sr., F, Iowa
Unanimous selections listed in ALL CAPS
* - additional honorees due to ties in voting
