Rachel Banham was named the Big Ten player of the year on Monday by coaches and members of the media.
The redshirt senior guard is the fifth Minnesota player to win the award and second in a row after center Amanda Zahui B. was given the honor by the media last season.
Banham returned to the Gophers this year after rehabbing a torn anterior cruciate ligament. She proceeded to break or tie school, conference and national records.
She broke Minnesota’s all-time scoring record in Puerto Rico on Nov. 28 and broke the Big Ten’s career-scoring record on Feb. 21. Banham has 2,982 career-points heading into the Big Ten tournament, which the Gophers will play in starting Thursday.
Banham tied the NCAA record for points in a game with 60 against Northwestern on Feb. 7. She has scored 803 points this season, another program record, and is averaging a team-high 27.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Sophomore guard Carlie Wagner was also honored on Monday by being named to the All-Big Ten second team by coaches and media. She is second on the team in scoring with an average of 19.3 points per game.