GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Emilee Maldonado was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-American team on Monday. Maldonado was one of ten players in the country to receive All-American recognition.

"It's a big deal to be recognized as one of the ten best in the country," head coach Bill Himmelberg said. "This award is voted on by coaches so it's definitely a big deal to get that sort of recognition."

Maldonado is the first player in program history to ever be named a WBCA 1s Team All-American. The Argos had previously had five players named Honorable Mention to the team; Erin Legel and Lindsey Abramson in 2014-15, Legel again in 2015-16, current assistant coach Stephanie McDonagh in 2017-18, and current senior Parker Esary last season.

"I'm just really proud of Emilee," Himmelberg said. "She's the first person in our program to ever do it. It just says a lot about her and the impact she had on the floor for us this year. She put in a lot of hard work so she's definitely deserving."

Maldonado certainly had an impact on the floor this season. She averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.0 steals a game. She shot a whopping 46.1% from the floor, 50.0% from the three-point line and 91.3% from the free throw line. She finished the season ranked third in the nation in free throw percentage (91.3%) and fourth in the nation in three-point field goal percentage (50.0%).

For her on the court performance, Maldonado was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Year following the Frontier Conference Tournament. She was also named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 25. Even more impressive is her leadership during a season where the team underwent multiple cancelations due to Frontier Conference COVID-19 protocols. 

"She's definitely a big time leader off the floor and on the floor," Himmelberg said. "Her versatility in being able to score when we need a score is huge. She can just do everything. A lot of the times I think people overlook how good defensively she is. We can put her on the other team's best guards and she'll guard them. Her ability to be able to do whatever it takes can't be overstated."

The WBCA presents the Player of the Year award annually to the top player in five of the six WBCA membership divisions (NCAA Divisions II, and III, NAIA, two-year college and high school). The Player of the Year and the 10-member Coaches' All-America team in each division are selected by a committee of WBCA member coaches in that division.