Jill Townsend is first Gonzaga women’s player on national watch list

On a day of milestones for Gonzaga women’s basketball, senior wing Jill Townsend was named Tuesday as a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.

Townsend, the reigning West Coast Conference Players of the Year, is the first player in program history to be named to a national watch list.

Named after the first player, male or female, selected to an All-America team in four consecutive college seasons, the award, in its fourth year, recognizes the top shooting guard in NCAA Division I college basketball.

A national committee determined the watch list of 20 candidates.

Last year, Townsend led the Zags to a 28-3 record with an all-around game that produced an average of 12.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. She also shot 41.1% from 3-point range.

Aari McDonald of Arizona won the award last year.

Starting Five Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies will go live on Friday. For more information on the 2021 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and the latest updates, log onto www.hoophallawards.com

Earlier in the day, GU opened the year with a No. 21 ranking in The Associated Press preseason poll, the loftiest start to the season in program history.