
Monica Wright has made her last basket in a UVA uniform, but her name will stand in the Cavalier record books for years to come. Not only did Wright set the school record as all-time leading scorer with 2,540 points, but she also became the first UVA women’s basketball player to be named an Associated Press first-team All-American.
“This is a tremendous honor, and I can honestly breathe a sigh of satisfaction, knowing that four years of hard work have paid off,” Wright (Col ’10) said when the AP list was announced March 30.
The honors have poured in for Wright since the team ended its 2009-10 season with an opening-round loss in the NCAA tournament. She was voted the Division I National Defensive Player of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association and was named to the 10-player State Farm Coaches’ All-America Team.
In addition, Wright was both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the ACC—only the second player in conference history to receive both awards in the same season.
UVA women’s head coach Debbie Ryan (Educ ’77) said, “She has placed the University of Virginia back in a prominent national position while representing us with class both on and off the court.”