TORONTO, ON (March 13, 2018) – When the 2018 Division 1 Women’s Basketball Championship tips-off Friday afternoon, 17 Canadians will find themselves vying for college basketball's top prize.

At 32-0, Kia Nurse and the UConn Huskies enter the tournament as the first overall seed as they chase their fifth national championship in six years.  On Monday, the Hamilton, Ont. native earned Academic All-American honours for the second straight season and last month became the first Canadian to be nominated for the Nancy Lieberman award, which is given to the top point guard of women’s college basketball.

While Nurse’s collegiate career will come to a close this year, several standout Canadians are just getting started, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Shaina Pellington.  After helping Canada secure a historic bronze medal at the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2017 last summer, Pellington became the Sooners’ seventh Big 12 Freshman of the Year winner after averaging 13.1 points per game.

NC State rookie Aislinn Konig also made a name for herself this season, appearing in all 32 games for the Wolfpack and finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 10.3 points per game.  No. 4 seed NC State opens the tournament on Friday at 2:30 PM ET versus No. 13 Elon.

Starting 27 games for the Wolverines this season, Michigan rookie Hailey Brown was another Canadian who turned some heads after averaging 9.0 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Below is the list of Canadians playing this year:

Hanna Hall - Buffalo -

W 102-79 vs (6) South Florida

W 86-65 vs (3) Florida State

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Ayoleka Sodade - Buffalo -

W 102-79 vs (6) South Florida

W 86-65 vs (3) Florida State

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Kia Nurse - Connecticut -

W 140-52 vs (16) Saint Francis - 15 pts, 10 rebs, 2 asts

W 71-46 vs (9) Quinnipiac - 13 pts, 3 rebs, 3 asts

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Louise Forsyth - Gonzaga - L 68-82 vs (4) Stanford

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Yasmine Bidikuindila - LSU - L 69-78 vs (11) Central Michigan

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Julie Brosseau - Maine - L 54-83 vs (2) Texas

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Shantelle Valentine - Marquette -

W 84-65 vs (9) Dayton

L 72-90 vs (1) Louisville

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Hailey Brown - Michigan -

W 75-61 vs (10) Northern Colorado

L 58-80 vs (2) Baylor

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Aislinn Konig - NC State -

W 62-35 vs (13) Elon - 12 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts

W 74-60 vs (5) Maryland - 12 pts, 1 rbd, 4 asts

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Shaina Pellington - Oklahoma - L 79-90 vs. (5) De Paul - 14 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts

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Sarah Shewan - Quinnipiac -

W 86-72 vs (8) Miami Hurricanes

L 46-71 vs (1) Connecticut

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Alyssa Jerome - Stanford -

W 82-68 vs (13) Gonzaga

W 90-70 vs (12) Florida Gulf Coast

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Mikaela Brewer - Stanford -

W 82-68 vs (13) Gonzaga

W 90-70 vs (12) Florida Gulf Coast

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Chelayne Bailey - Syracuse - L 57-84 vs (9) Oklahoma State

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Audrey-Ann Caron-Goudreau - Texas

W 83-54 vs (15) Maine Black Bears

W 85-65 vs (7) Arizona State

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Khaleann Caron-Goudreau - Texas -

W 83-54 vs (15) Maine Black Bears

W 85-65 vs (7) Arizona State

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While a member of a tournament bound team, Canadians Julia Chandler (Dayton) will not play this year due to NCAA rules after transferring.

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