Iowa's Caitlin Clark, Monika Czinano are first-team all-Big Ten

Iowa's Caitlin Clark and Monika Czinano have been selected to the all-Big Ten women's basketball first team, by both the coaches and the media.

The conference released its honor teams Monday afternoon.

A dynamic 5-foot-11 freshman point guard out of West Des Moines, Clark leads the nation in scoring (27.4 points per game) and ranks fourth in assists (6.9 per game). A 13-time league freshman of the week, Clark also was selected the freshman of the year.

Czinano, a 6-3 junior post from Watertown, Minn., is averaging 18.3 points per contest, and her 65.7-percent field-goal accuracy is tops in the nation. She was a first-team selection by the media last year, second-team by the coaches.

Michigan junior Naz Hillmon was selected as the player of the year. Hillmon, Clark and Maryland's Ashley Owusu were unanimous first-team selections in both polls, along with Arella Guirantes by the media.

The rest of the first team consists of Grace Berger and Mackenzia Holmes of Indiana, Diamond Miller of Maryland, Nia Clouden of Michigan State and Veronica Burton of Northwestern. Dorka Juhasz also was selected on the coaches' team.

Maryland Coach Brenda Frese, a Cedar Rapids native, is the Big Ten coach of the year.

The Hawkeyes (15-8) are the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and will face 11-seed Purdue (7-15) in a second-round game at 8 p.m. (CT) Wednesday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The winner meets third-seeded Rutgers (14-3) in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. Thursday.

Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com