BOONE, N.C. - App State women's basketball senior
Bayley Plummer was named to the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced on Friday.
Named after the three-time All-American and 1994 National Player of the Year, the annual award in its third year that recognizes the top centers in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
"It's great to see Bayley receive national recognition," head coach
Angel Elderkin said. "She has been one of the top rebounders in the country the last two seasons. For her to put up the numbers she does, it's impressive. We're proud of Bayley, and can't wait to see what she will do on the court this season.
Previous winners include Megan Gustafson of Iowa (2019) and A'ja Wilson of South Carolina (2018).
Plummer had a historic season for the Black and Gold, where she set the single-season rebounding mark with 463 boards, surpassing Valorie Whiteside's (1984-1988) mark of 435. The senior finished sixth in the nation in rebounds per game (12.5), fourth in total boards and led the league in the Sun Belt in both categories. She became one of eight players in conference history to lead the league in rebounding in back-to-back seasons and the first since 2012-13.
The Thomasville, N.C., native put up five 20-rebound performances including the last three games of the season in the WBI Tournament. Her six career games with at least 20 off the glass are first in program history. She posted 28 games with at least 10 rebounds, highlighted by a streak of 15 straight games with double-figure rebounds, which at one point was the longest streak in the nation. For the season, Plummer averaged 7.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 assists per game.
Plummer heads into the season with 990 rebounds, just 10 shy of becoming the third player all-time with Valorie Whiteside (1,369) and Anna Freeman (1,008). She is in a position to set the all-time rebounds mark by the end of her career. She is also second among the nation's active career leaders in rebounds per game and tied for 12th with 23 career double-doubles.
Plummer played a pivotal role in helping the Mountaineers post their best season in recent memory, boasting 22 wins and a WBI championship.
She and the Mountaineers will host Lees-McRae in an exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. inside the Holmes Center before opening up the 2019-20 campaign at VCU on Nov. 5.
The Lisa Leslie Award list will be narrowed to 10 candidates in mid-February. Five finalists will be announced in March, with the winner recognized at the ESPN College Basketball Awards Show on April 10th. For more on the award click
here.
Fans can now vote by clicking HERE to help Plummer advance to the next round.
2020 Lisa Leslie Award Candidates*
| Bayley Plummer |
Appalachian State |
| Queen Egbo |
Baylor |
| Olivia Nelson-Ododa |
Connecticut |
| Jade Williams |
Duke |
| Kristin Scott |
Iowa State |
| Kayla Cooper-Williams |
James Madison |
| Shakira Austin |
Maryland |
| Beatrice Mompremier |
Miami |
| Elissa Cunane |
NC State |
| Kate Cain |
Nebraska |
| Janelle Bailey |
North Carolina |
| Eleah Parker |
Penn |
| Ae'Rianna Harris |
Purdue |
| Nancy Mulkey |
Rice |
| Aliyah Boston |
South Carolina |
| Maya Dodson |
Stanford |
| Charli Collier |
Texas |
| Ciera Johnson |
Texas A&M |
| Brittany Brewer |
Texas Tech |
| Mariella Fasoula |
Vanderbilt |
