RUSTON - One day after being snubbed on the Associated Press All-American team, Louisiana Tech senior center Cheryl Ford was named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association State Player of the Year.

Voting was done by a LSWA panel of media members and sports information personnel from basketball-playing institutions around the state.

Joining Ford on the first team were Tech's Trina Frierson and LSU's Semoine Augustus, Temeka Johnson and Aiysha Smith. LSU head coach Sue Gunter was voted LSWA Coach of the Year while Augustus was a unanimous selection for Freshman of the Year with New Orleans' Monique Taylor being named Newcomer of the Year.

The second team consisted of Tech's Amber Obaze and Erica Smith, Tulane's Teana McKiver and Gwen Slaughter and Northwestern State's Angela Davison while the third team contained NSU's Laterrica Dobin, New Orleans' Monique Taylor, LSU's Doneeka Hodges, Grambling State's Shrieka Evans and Centenary's Alexis Pettway.

Ford led Tech to a 31-3 record, the Western Athletic Conference regular season and tournament titles, a 29-game winning streak, a No. 6 national ranking and a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Summerfield, La., native ranked No. 3 nationally in rebounding at 12.9 per game while also averaging 15.7 points per game with 24 double doubles. Ford was named the Western Athletic Conference's Player of the Year for the second straight year while also being the WAC Tournament MVP.

Frierson averaged 15.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the Lady Techsters this season while leading the team and the WAC in field goal percentage at 52.9 percent. The Vicksburg, Miss., native earned first team All-WAC honors for Tech after averaging 19.9 points over her last 12 games of the year while shooting 62 percent of her shots. Frierson scored in double figures 26 times, including a team-high, eight performances of 20 plus points.

After earning LSWA third team honors last year, Obaze moved up to the second team following a junior campaign that saw her average 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds 3.5 assists and 1.7 steals per contest. The Dallas, Texas, native also earned second team All-WAC honors after scoring in double figures 24 times and leading Tech with 119 assists and 1059 minutes played. Obaze finished the year in the top 10 in four different categories in the WAC statistical rankings.

Smith, last year's LSWA State Freshman of the Year, also earned second team honors this season after averaging 11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game for the Lady Techsters. The Wheatley, Ark., native hit 38 percent of her three-pointers on the year while shooting 76 percent from the free throw line. Smith, whose 42 three-pointers made were the second most ever by a Tech sophomore, scored a career-high 28 points in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Pepperdine.

Junior forward Amisha Carter earned honorable mention honors after averaging 6.0 points and 4.9 rebounds a game in 17 minutes a contest. Carter ranked second on the team with 21 blocks and third with 163 rebounds.

LSWA First Team
Cheryl Ford, Louisiana Tech
Trina Frierson, Louisiana Tech
Semoine Augustus, LSU
Temeka Johnson, LSU
Aiysha Smith, LSU

Player of the Year: Cheryl Ford, Louisiana Tech
Coach of the Year: Sue Gunter, LSU
Freshman of the Year: Semoine Augustus, LSU
Newcomer of the Year: Monique Taylor, New Orleans

Second Team
Amber Obaze, Louisiana Tech
Erica Smith, Louisiana Tech
Teana McKiver, Tulane
Gwen Slaughter, Tulane
Angela Davison, Northwestern State

Third Team
Laterrica Dobins, Northwestern State
Monique Taylor, New Orleans
Doneeka Hodges, LSU
Shrieka Evans, Grambling State
Alexis Pettway, Centenary

Honorable Mention
Amisha Carter, Louisiana Tech
Kellie Burbidge, McNeese State
Nina Randle, Louisiana-Monroe
Mandy Broussard, Nicholls State
Chovanique Kibble, Grambling State