SPRINGFIELD, MASS. -- The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced today the Top five candidates for the 2021 Katrina McClain Award with Wildcat sophomore forward Maddy Siegrist  (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) being one of the five student-athletes to earn recognition.  
 
Named after the two-time All-American and 1987 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its fourth year recognizes the top power forwards in NCAA Division I women's college basketball.
 
The other four finalists include Jasmine Walker (Alabama), NyLyssa Smith (Baylor), Naz Hillmon (Michigan) and Natasha Mack (Oklahoma State).
 
Siegrist finished the regular season by leading the BIG EAST in both scoring at 23.1 points per game and rebounding at 10.1 rebounds per contest. She becomes just the third player in league history to lead the conference in scoring and rebounding. The other two players to accomplish the statistical double were Rebekkah Brunson (Georgetown in 2003-04) and Angel McCoughtry who did it three times playing for then Big East member Louisville (2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09).
 
She finished the regular season by posting a double-double in three of the final four games which gives her a BIG EAST leading 11 double-doubles for the season and she has now tallied a double-double in 22 of her 50 collegiate games. In addition, Siegrist scored 20 points or more in 13 of the first 19 games this season, including four games of over 30 points. In 50 career games, Siegrist has scored 20 points or more in 28 of the 50 contests.
 
In the regular season finale last Saturday, Siegrist became just the third player in Villanova women's basketball history to score 1,000 points in two seasons and she becomes the fastest to reach the milestone in Villanova women's basketball history. Shelly Pennefather (1983-87) scored 1,000 points in 52 career games, while Laura Kurz (2007-09) did it in 60 career contests.
 
A national committee of top college basketball personnel determined the watch list of 20 student-athletes in November, which was narrowed to 10 candidates in February and now just five finalists. This month, the finalists will be presented to Ms. McClain-Pittman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2021 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee. Naismith Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday, March 5 on hoophallawards.com.
 
The winner of the 2021 Katrina McClain Power Forward Award will be presented on ESPN, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Other awards being presented include the Nancy Lieberman Point Guard Award, the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five. Additional information about the award presentation, including date and time, will be released in the coming weeks.