After leading Loyola Marymount women's basketball to its first West Coast Conference title and a program-best 22-5 overall record, senior Kate Murray was selected as WCC Player of the Year, the first LMU women's player to win the award.

Teammate Adrianne Slaughter joined Murray as a first-team All-WCC selection, and LMU Head Coach Julie Wilhoit was named WCC Coach of the Year for the third time in five seasons.

Murray, a two-time first-team All-WCC selection, finished the 2004 conference season averaging 17.4 points per game, and led the team throughout the season in assists (80) and steals (47). She currently ranks eighth in the nation in free throw percentage, and led the WCC in scoring and free throw percentage (.906).

"Kate is the Player of the Year because she does everything well," Wilhoit said. The 6-foot guard/forward set a new program record for games played (119) and currently is second in all-time points scored (1,509). She earned two WCC Player of the Month honors and three WCC Player of the Week awards this season.

Murray was a 2001-02 first-team All-WCC selection as a junior, but was sidelined last season with a knee injury. Deciding to return for a fifth year, Murray will graduate with a Masters in Business Administration in May. Her 3.87 grade point average recently helped her garner her third WCC All-Academic selection.

"I am very honored to be the Player of the Year, but the award is really for everyone who has played before me and contributed to LMU basketball," Murray said. "LMU has had some unbelievable players in Taryn Reynolds, Rosa Bernasconi, Bryn Britton, and (Assistant Coach) Lynn Flanagan, so it is such an honor to be named LMU's first Player of the Year."

Slaughter, also a two-time All-WCC first-team selection, averaged 10.4 points for the Lions this season. She added 6.6 rebounds per game and a team-leading 62 blocked shots, including six against WCC tournament No. 2 seed Gonzaga on Feb. 5.

Twice named the WCC's Player of the Week this season, the Englewood, Colo., native broke a 13-year LMU record with 823 rebounds and ranks in the top ten in eight of LMU's all-time statistical categories. She will complete her LMU career as the third-leading shot blocker in WCC history.

Also the WCC Coach of the Year in 1999-00 and 2000-01, Wilhoit earns this year's honor from her peers after leading LMU to the ninth-best season turnaround in the nation. With a record that's an eight-game improvement over last year, the Lions' coach led the team to LMU's first WCC title and a program-record 13-game winning streak in her ninth season.

The WCC tournament will be held March 4-8 at Santa Clara University. As the number one seed for the women's tournament at 22-5 overall and 13-1 in the WCC, LMU earneda bye to the semifinals March 6, and will play a quarterfinal winner at noon.

On Feb. 28, LMU wrapped up regular season play in Gersten Pavilion by defeating Saint Mary's 57-55, moving its home record to 12-1. The 22 overall wins are a new program record for the Lions. The 2000-01 squad posted 21 wins en route to a WNIT postseason appearance.

LMU's 13-1 WCC record is the conference's best record since the 1996-97 Portland squad went 14-0 in WCC play. San Francisco (1994-1995) and Santa Clara (1990-91) are the only other programs to post 13-1 WCC seasons.