ST. LOUIS (USBWA) – For the season's 12th U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week and the organization's women's freshman player honor, Iowa forward Megan Gustafson is national player while West Virginia guard Madisen Smith has been tabbed for the freshman citation after each was involved in helping their teams go unbeaten in games ending the week of Sunday, Feb. 17.

The USBWA weekly honors for Division I women's players will be handed out each Tuesday this season.

As the Big Ten player and Big 12 freshman weekly winners, both were nominated for the awards, which were chosen by Mel Greenberg, the USBWA coordinator for women's basketball, primarily from a pair of lists of Division I conference players and freshmen players of the week.

Gustafson, a 6-3 senior forward from Port Wing, Wis., averaged 29 points and 17 rebounds along with 1.5 blocked shots while shooting .655 in a pair of wins that tied the Hawkeyes for the conference lead and landed them in the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1996. She also set a Big Ten record for career double doubles now at 79. In the upset of then-No. 7 Maryland – the first win over the Terrapins since 1992 – she had 31 points and 17 rebounds. Leading the nation in scoring at 27.4 points per game, her 12 in-season honors are a conference record as well as her career mark of 22.

Smith, a 5-5 senior guard from Greenville, S.C. averaged 18.5 points and six assists. Her 20 points at Texas Tech made her the first Mountaineer to have back-to-back 20-point games since Kate Bulger in November 2000. She tied a career high with five assists against the Red Raiders and then broke it with eight dishes against TCU.

Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a women's National Player of the Year. For the 2012-13 season, the national and weekly player award has been named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale. At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2019 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA’s annual awards event in Tampa, site of the 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Joe Mitch at 314-795-6821.

2018-19 USBWA Women's Players of the Week
• Week ending Dec. 2: Christyn Williams, UConn (National); Dorka Juhász, Ohio State (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 9: Jenna Allen, Michigan State (National); Taylor Sutton, Middle Tennessee (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 16: Alanna Smith, Stanford (National); Chrislyn Carr, Texas Tech (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 23: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (National); Rhyne Howard, Kentucky (Freshman)
• Week ending Dec. 30: Dionna White, Georgetown (National); Nia Clouden, Michigan State (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 6: Phoebe Sterba, Penn (National); Sienna Durr, Columbia (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 13: Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse (National); Shakira Austin, Maryland (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 20: Shrita Parker, UNCW (National); Christianna Carr, Kansas State (Freshman)
• Week ending Jan. 27: Paris Kea, North Carolina (National); Elissa Cunana, N.C. State (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 3: Bella Alarie, Princeton (National); Ciaja Harbison, Saint Louis (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 10: Sabrina Ionescu, Oregon (National); Ajah Wayne, Old Dominion (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 17: Megan Gustafson, Iowa (National); Madisen Smith, West Virginia (Freshman)
• Week ending Feb. 24: Kay Kay Wright, UCF (National); Jada McMillian, Charlotte (Freshman)
• Week ending March 3: Kristine Anigwe, California (National); Christianna Carr, Kansas State (Freshman)