NCAA Women

Miles named to 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website

Miles named to 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — After her 2021-22 performance earned her a spot as a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award, Notre Dame sophomore point guard Olivia Miles is once again on the award’s radar. On Monday, Miles was named to the preseason watch list for the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award, which recognizes the top point guard in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.

“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is honored to celebrate both men and women at all levels of the game,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “The players being recognized today on the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List have worked extremely hard to master their skills and have become outstanding examples of why the future is so bright for our game. We look forward to evaluating this year’s top point guards with Nancy Lieberman, a Hall of Famer who helped pave the way for today’s female athletes.”

Miles is one of four returning starters for the Niele Ivey-led Irish, and she is looking to build upon a record-breaking freshman campaign. The Phillipsburg, N.J., native led Notre Dame with 13.7 points, 7.4 assists and 1.8 steals per game last year. She posted eight games with double-digit assists last season, while no other ACC player had more than one contest with 10+. Miles scored in double figures 30 times. 

Further, Miles was the first ever freshman — men’s or women’s — to record a triple double in the NCAA Tournament; in a first-round win over UMass, she notched 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. In all, she was just the second ever Irish freshman to accomplish the feat, joining Marina Mabrey.

Miles’ postseason awards list was expansive. She was the sole freshman on the All-ACC First Team, AP All-American honorable mention and earned the No. 2 spot on ESPN’s freshmen rankings. 

Twenty players were named to the watch list on Monday. Ten finalists will be named in late January, and the list will be shortened to five players in late February. A winner will be selected in March. Any player can play their way onto the list. 

Fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting, presented by Dell Technologies, in each of the three rounds starting Friday, October 21.

In total, five ACC players made the first cut: Miles, Chrislyn Carr (Louisville), Haley Cavinder (Miami), Deja Kelly (North Carolina), Dyaisha Fair (Syracuse). Former Notre Dame star Skylar Diggins won the award in both 2012 and 2013. Iowa’s…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Women’s Basketball – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Official Athletics Website…