State Farm/WBCA All-America Team | State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year Finalists

Senior guard Bianca Simmons (Middletown, Conn.) can now add All-American honors to her list of accomplishments.
 
Simmons was named to the State Farm/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II All-America Team, released Monday afternoon, as well a finalist for WBCA Division II Player of the Year alongside Kari Daugherty of Ashland University and Drameka Griggs of Clayton State.
 
“The honor is very well deserved and I am so proud of her,” said head coach Sarah Behn. “Bianca has evolved as a player and person in the two years I coached her. She is a once in lifetime player and role model, and so I am so happy she is the face of UMass Lowell women's basketball.”
 
Simmons becomes UMass Lowell's first All-American since Darlene Orlando-Ciarcia was a two-time All-American in 1993 and 1994. Bentley junior Lauren Battista was the only other recipient selected to the All-American team from the East Region.
 
The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year is selected by the nine-member WBCA Player of the Year Committee, which consists of one WBCA-member coach from each of the eight NCAA Division II Regions and the committee chair.
 
“The fact that Bianca is a finalist and we fell short of the NCAA Tournament speaks volumes of the season she had,” said Behn. “I believe she is the best player in the country.”
 
The State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year winner will be announced during the third annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 8, in New Orleans. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA Women's Final Four.
 
A 5-foot-6 guard, Simmons led the nation in scoring with 28.2 points per game. She also averaged 3.6 steals and 5.4 assists per a game – good for seventh and 10th in the country – and led the River Hawks with 7.4 rebounds.

Simmons guided UMass Lowell to an 18-9 overall record and a 15-7 clip in the Northeast-10 Conference (fourth place), the program's best finish since 2002-03 when it went 23-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The honor is the latest of several this season for Simmons, who was named the NE-10 Player of the Year and to the First Team by the Conference coaches. She was also cited to the Daktronics All-East Region First Team on Mar. 14 and Daktronics All-America First Team on Mar. 24.

Simmons will also be traveling to the NCAA Women's Final Four in New Orleans Apr. 4-6 for the 2013 WNBA Combine.

She wrapped her collegiate career second on UMass Lowell's all-time scoring list. Her 1,919 points places her behind only Ciarcia, who amassed 2,116 points from 1990-94.

During her senior year Simmons, scored 762 points, the highest single season total in UMass Lowell history. She also holds six of the top ten all-time single game points records and was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week on 10 occasions this season.

Simmons is the daughter of Cheryl and Reginald Simmons of Middletown Conn.