TAMPA, FLORIDA (April 4, 2019) – Iowa State guard Bridget Carleton has been named the winner of the 2019 Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, as announced during the WBCA Coaches’ All-America/Naismith Starting 5 Presentation at the Women’s Final Four in Tampa, Florida.  In addition to the award, Carleton was also named to the Naismith Starting 5.

“It’s a huge honor to receive an award named after Cheryl Miller, who has been such a pioneer in bringing women’s basketball to the forefront of athletics,” Carleton said. “She was one of the best to play our game, and I am humbled to be recognized for this award and included in the Naismith Starting 5. This isn’t possible without all of the opportunities Iowa State has given me. I am so thankful for my coaches and teammates putting me in the best positions to be successful during the last year.”

Named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and Class of 1995 Hall of Famer, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award is in its second year and recognizes the top small forwards in women’s NCAA Division I college basketball.

Carleton is coming off a historic season in which she was named Big 12 Player of the Year, becoming the first Cyclone in program history to earn the honours.  Carleton, who hails from Chatham, Ont., established school records this season for points scored (760), scoring average (21.7 PPG), field-goals made (254) and field-goals attempted (543). Carleton also ranked second in free-throws made (180) and attempted (209), third in steals (79), fourth in rebounds (302) and tied for ninth in blocks (43).  

In four seasons with the Cyclones, Carleton averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists while appearing in 124 games.

In addition to being named the Big 12 Player of the Year, Carleton was selected as a Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press and a Third-Team All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, becoming just the second Iowa State player to earn USBWA All-America honors.

Carleton was selected as the recipient of the award based on a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame’s selection committee, a national panel of top college basketball personnel.

The other finalists for the 2019 Cheryl Miller Award were Sophie Cunningham (Missouri), Kaila Charles (Maryland), Jackie Young (Notre Dame) and Satou Sabally (Oregon).

Last season, Gabby Williams of Connecticut was named the inaugural winner of the Cheryl Miller Small Forward of the Year Award.

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