PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UConn junior Katie Lou Samuelson was named the American Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, as the league announced its 2018 major awards on Saturday. Cincinnati’s IImar’I Thomas earned Freshman of the Year accolades, and USF’s Jose Fernandez collected his first American Coach of the Year honor. All three honors were voted upon by the league’s 12 head coaches.
 
Samuelson takes The American’s top honor on the heels of a prolific offensive regular season. The Player of the Year nod is the second-consecutive for the junior after sharing the award with teammate Napheesa Collier in 2017. Samuelson led the undefeated Huskies with 18.3 points per game on 54.4 percent shooting and currently paces the nation in 3-point field goal percentage at 49.0 percent. She ranks second in the conference in 3-pointers per game (3.0) and fourth in free-throw percentage (81.9), earning two American player of the week nods during the regular season. The Huntington Beach, California product was a unanimous selection on the All-Conference First Team for the second year running. A finalist for the Citizen Naismith Trophy, the Wade Trophy, the John R. Wooden Award and the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, Samuelson poured in a season-high 33 points on Dec. 22 against Duquesne.
 
Thomas is Cincinnati’s first major award winner as a member of The American. She has appeared in every game for Cincinnati this season, and leads The American with her 60.7 field goal percentage. With her 10.2 points and team-best 6.2 rebounds per game, Thomas set an American Athletic Conference record this season with five freshman-of-the-week selections. In her reserve role, she’s averaging nearly 22 minutes per game, and led Cincinnati twice in scoring during the course of the year. The Baltimore, Maryland native posted a pair of double-doubles including a season-high 19 points and 11 rebounds against Howard on Dec. 14. Thomas and the Bearcats collected their best regular-season finish in The American to earn the Championship’s No. 4 seed.
 
In his 17^th season at the helm of the Bulls, Fernandez has guided USF to its sixth-consecutive 20-win season and a 13-3 slate in American play. This year marks the Bulls’ second campaign in The American with only three losses, and the ninth season with 20 or more wins in Fernandez’s tenure. USF led the league in rebounding during the regular season, outdoing opponents by a 10.1 rebounding margin, and ranks amongst the nation’s top-10 on the boards (1,309). With junior Kitija Laksa and senior Maria Jespersen, the Bulls landed two on the All-Conference First Team for the first time in program history, and Fernandez’s squad ranked or received votes in every national throughout the season.
 
2018 American Athletic Conference Women’s Major Awards
 
Player of the Year
Katie Lou Samuelson, Jr., G, UConn
 
Freshman of the Year
IImar’I Thomas, Fr., F, Cincinnati
 
Coach of the Year
Jose Fernandez, USF