MVP Tamika Catchings Headlines 2011 All-WNBA First Team

NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 2011 - Indiana Fever forward Tamika Catchings, the 2011 WNBA MVP, headlines the 2011 All-WNBA First Team, the league announced today. Catchings, who has been selected to nine All-WNBA teams, including six First Teams, led all vote-getters with 187 points.

Atlanta Dream forward Angel McCoughtry (172), Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (168), Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (166), and Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen (164) round out the First Team.

Voting for the All-WNBA First and Second Teams was conducted by a panel of national and local sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were selected by position and received five points for each First Team vote and three points for each Second Team designation.

Catchings, named the 2011 WNBA Most Valuable Player of the Year, led the Fever to the top seed in the Eastern Conference, averaging 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals. On Aug. 13, in an 82-71 home win versus New York, Catchings tied her career-high of 32 points, making her the sixth player in WNBA history to reach the 5,000-point mark and the first with 5,000 points, 2,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists.

McCoughtry ranked second in the league in scoring, averaging 21.56 points, to go along with 5.2 rpg and 2.2 spg. Taurasi earned her fourth consecutive and fifth overall Peak Performer award for scoring after averaging 21.63 points in 2011. Charles, the 2010 Rookie of the Year captured her second consecutive rebounding title, averaging 11.0 rpg. Whalen paced the league in assists, averaging 5.9 and handing out five or more assists in a game 26 times.

While this marks the seventh First Team honor for Taurasi and the sixth for Catchings, it is the second such selection for Whalen. McCoughtry and Charles each earned their first appearance on the First Team.

Chicago Sky center Sylvia Fowles (150 points) and Seattle Storm guard Sue Bird (123 points) highlight the 2011 All-WNBA Second Team. New York Liberty guard Cappie Pondexter (94), Phoenix Mercury forward Penny Taylor (82), and Minnesota Lynx guard Seimone Augustus (69) round out the Second Team.

In honor of being named to the All-WNBA First and Second Teams, each player will receive a Tiffany & Co. designed trophy. In addition, $10,000 will be awarded to each member of the First Team, while each member of the Second Team will receive $5,000.

Below are the complete results of the 2011 All-WNBA Team voting:

2011 ALL-WNBA FIRST TEAM

Player Team Position Points
Tamika CatchingsIndiana FeverForward187
Angel McCoughtryAtlanta DreamForward172
Tina CharlesConnecticut SunCenter166
Diana TaurasiPhoenix MercuryGuard168
Lindsay WhalenMinnesota LynxGuard164

2011 ALL-WNBA SECOND TEAM

Player Team Position Points
Penny TaylorPhoenix MercuryForward82
Seimone AugustusMinnesota LynxForward69
Sylvia FowlesChicago SkyCenter150
Sue BirdSeattle StormGuard123
Cappie PondexterNew York LibertyGuard94