Northwestern women’s basketball’s Ashley Deary named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year

For the second straight season, Northwestern point guard Ashley Deary has been named the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Defensive Player of the Year, as voted by the conference’s coaches.

Deary averaged 3.86 steals per game this season, extending her conference record for career steals to 423.

Deary has been a force on the defensive end ever since arriving in Evanston, averaging over two steals per game as a freshman, over three steals per game as a sophomore and over four steals per game as a junior. The 5-foot-4 senior out of Flower Mound, Texas is also averaging 10.6 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game and 6.5 assists per game this season while playing over 34 minutes per contest. She is also a two-time member of the Big Ten All-Defensive team as well as a multiple-time All-Big Ten team member.

Deary is one of just three players ever to win the award more than once.

Deary was also named to the All-Big Ten second team. Nia Coffey was a unanimous first-teamer.