“Van Lith and Prince Shine Bright on the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Spotlight”

FORT WORTH – Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince are positioned as leading candidates for national player of the year accolades as the 2024-25 season approaches its midpoint.
 
Van Lith and Prince have been selected for the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List this Tuesday.
 
Player nominations were established through a survey of national college basketball authorities reflecting performances during the current season.
 
These players are two among four in the program’s history to receive Wooden Award recognition, joining All-Americans Sandora Irvin (2004-05) and Helena Sverssdottir (2010-11).
 
This Tuesday’s acknowledgment signifies the second occasion both players have been featured on the Midseason Top 25 Watch List. Prince received this distinction during her inaugural season as a Horned Frog in 2023-24. Van Lith earned the honor in 2022-23 as a junior at Louisville and was also among 50 athletes highlighted on the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List in November.
 
Entering the upcoming contest against Kansas, Van Lith stands as the only athlete nationally achieving an average of 17 points, six assists, and four rebounds per game for the 11^th-ranked Horned Frogs. She is ranked fifth among all D1 players for total assists (97). Together with Notre Dame guards and fellow Wooden Award contenders Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles, Van Lith is one of only three players to have achieved at least 15 points and five assists in several matches against ranked opponents.
 
Hailing from Wenatchee, Wash., Van Lith has spearheaded TCU in scoring in 10 of the team’s 15-1 season start. She has posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.5 or better on eight distinct occasions.
 
Prince continues to assert herself as one of the most formidable centers in the nation. The 6-7 graduate student is averaging 17.3 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game, leading the national rankings in blocks. Her performance has elevated as conference competitions intensify, with Prince averaging 18.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game in Big 12 matchups.
 
The Liberty Hill, Texas native recorded 20 points, 20 rebounds, and eight blocks during TCU’s win over No. 3 Notre Dame – the highest-ranked victory in program lore – on Nov. 29 at the Cayman Islands Classic. With this achievement, Prince became the first player in NCAA history to log 20 points, 20 rebounds, and eight blocks in a game against a ranked opponent and the first to achieve 20 rebounds and eight blocks against an AP Top Five rival. She is also now one of just four D1 players since 1999-00 to accomplish a 20-20 game against a ranked team.
 
Both Van Lith and Prince were recognized as Ann Meyers Drysdale National Players of the Week on Dec. 3 following the Horned Frogs’ victories in the Caribbean over the Fighting Irish and South Florida.
 
Prince also earned AP National Player of the Week honors after her 31-point, 16-rebound showcase in TCU’s 76-73 victory over then-No. 13 NC State on Nov. 17. She added to her accolades with two Big 12 Player of the Week honors on Nov. 18 and Dec. 2.
 
TCU (15-1, 3-0) will take on the Jayhawks at 2 p.m. on Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse.