University of Evansville guard Rebekah Parker (Silver Lake, Ind./Tippecanoe Valley) has been honored as one of the nation’s top senior women’s basketball players, as Parker was named to the All-Senior All-America first team by a vote of fans, coaches, media, and sponsors for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
Parker was one of 10 national finalists for the prestigious Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, which honors the NCAA Division I student-athlete of the year in eight different sports. Stanford’s Candice Wiggins, the 2008 Wade Trophy Award Winner for National Player of the Year, earned the 2008 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for women’s basketball. Parker joined Wiggins, 2008 National Defensive Player of the Year Sylvia Fowles of LSU, and consensus All-Americans Crystal Langhorne of Maryland and Jackie McFarland of Colorado on the Lowe’s All-Senior All-America first team squad.
The Senior All-America honor caps an outstanding four-year career at Evansville for Parker, who will leave UE as the only basketball player in school history, male or female, to record over 1,400 career points, 600 career rebounds, 400 career assists, and 175 career steals. Parker earned first team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors for the second year in a row this past year, after guiding UE to a share of its first MVC regular-season title, a 21-12 overall record and a second-round showing in the 2008 Postseason WNIT. Parker averaged a team-best 14.5 points per game for UE this season, while ranking among the MVC’s leaders in nine different statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals en route to becoming UE’s first-ever three-time all-MVC selection.
Academically, Parker earned first team MVC Scholar-Athlete honors and second team Academic All-District V honors from CoSIDA for the second year in a row this past season, after compiling a 3.69 cumulative grade point average in physical education and health at UE. Parker also recently earned the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award, for her work in the community. Parker has been an active member of the Evansville community over the last four years, assisting with such programs as the Evansville Race for the Cure, the MVC’s “Just Read” Program, “Read Across America Day,” “Reading With The Aces,” the Main Street Trick or Treat festival, and various YMCA and Girl Scout clinics. Parker has also been an ARC volunteer over the last four years, while assisting with UE’s mentoring program at local area elementary schools and serving as a student-teacher in the Evansville school district.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award has grown into the nation’s premier tribute to college seniors. The award identifies personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete, with criteria including excellence in the classroom, character and community, as well as performance on the court.
2008 All-Senior All-America Teams
First Team
Candice Wiggins, Stanford (Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award Winner)
Sylvia Fowles, LSU
Crystal Langhorne, Maryland
Jackie McFarland, Colorado
Rebekah Parker, Evansville
Second Team
Meagan Cowher, Princeton
Sarah Elliott, Kentucky
Carlene Hightower, LaSalle
Tasha Humphrey, Georgia
Sarah-Jo Lawrence, George Washington
