Gustafson earns place on Wooden Award Watch List

Megan Gustafson earned another honor before her senior season.

Lily Smith

Iowa forward Megan Gustafson attempts a shot during the Iowa/Penn State basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018.

Pete Ruden, Sports Editor

Iowa senior forward Megan Gustafson was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top-30 Watch List by a preseason poll of national women’s college basketball media members, ESPNW announced Tuesday.

Gustafson has already picked up numerous preseason honors, including Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year and was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten team. She was also named the Big Ten Player of the Year by the media following her performance last season.

Gustafson led the country in 2017-18 with 25.7 points per game on 67.1 percent shooting from the field, another NCAA-best.

Her performance put her in elite company; Gustafson is just one of two players in the past 10 years to average at least 24 points and 12 rebounds a game, with the other being Chiney Ogwumike in 2014.

Gustafson boasts 1,803 points and 979 rebounds in her career, giving her a chance to become the seventh Big Ten athlete in conference history to drop 2,000 points and 1,000 boards in a season.

She also has a chance to break Ally Disterhoft’s school record of 2,102 points and is also close to passing Cindy Haugejorde’s rebounding mark of 1,067.