The Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau (ACVB) is proud to announce the three men and three women finalists for the 2nd Annual Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence.

This year's award will be presented on Tuesday, April 13, 2004 at an awards dinner at the Albuquerque Marriott. Jimmy Dykes, ESPN College Basketball Analyst will emcee the event.

The following are the three men and three women finalists for the 2nd Annual Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence: Morris Finley, Alabama - Birmingham;

MEN: Morris Finley, Alabama - Birmingham University of Alabama at Birmingham 5-11 senior guard Morris Finley was named to the Conference USA all-conference third team and has earned all-conference honors three times. Finley led the Blazers in scoring (13.9 points per game), three-pointers made and hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in UAB�s upset of top-seed Kentucky in this year�s NCAA Tournament. Finley graduated in 2003 with a degree in Psychology.

Adam Mark, Belmont Averaging 18.6 PPG and 8.1 RPG Adam Mark was named to the 2003-2004 Atlantic Sun All-Conference first team. Mark also led the nation in field goal percentage (.670) for the second-consecutive season, becoming only the seventh player in NCAA history to accomplish that feat. The previous season Mark was selected as the 2002-03 Atlantic Sun Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year. The 6-8 senior forward is majoring in Mathematics.

Jason Parker, Tulsa Jason Parker, a four-year letterwinner and two-year starter completed the season averaging 16.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals. Parker, a 6-2 senior guard, led the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane in scoring, assists and steals and ranked fifth in the Western Athletic Conference in scoring. He was also named second team all-conference for the second year in a row. Parker received a degree in management information systems at the end of his junior season.

WOMEN: Sara Nord, Louisville Sara Nord is the only player in Louisville history to be named first team All-Conference USA for four consecutive seasons. Nord led the Cardinals in scoring averaging 17.3 points, sixth best in the league. The 5-4 point guard led the conference in assists for the fourth straight season with 6.5 per game and is the school and league�s career assist leader. Nord is majoring in Elementary Education.

Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State The 6-5 possible finalist for the Wooden Award Nicole Ohlde is the most decorated player in the K-State women�s basketball history and became one of the first women�s basketball players in the school�s history to repeat as an All-American. Ohlde averaged 17.5 points per game on 57 percent shooting with 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.7 blocks and is the only player in K-State�s history to post 2,000 points, 900 rebounds, 300 assists and 200 blocks in a career. She is majoring in Elementary Education.

Hana Peljto, Harvard Hana Peljto is the sixth player in Ivy League women�s basketball history to be named First-Team All-Ivy League for four straight years. She was named First-Team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America and was the third woman in Ivy League history to score 2,000 points ending her career with 2,109 points, 962 rebounds in 104 career games. Peljto averaged 23.7 PPG and 9.7 RPG. The 6-2 forward is majoring in Psychology.

"We are extremely proud of the finalists for this award," said Dale Lockett, ACVB President/CEO. "It was a tough process of elimination because of the number of deserving student-athletes, yet the six finalists are the young people of character we were looking for when we created this award.�

The Creamland Dairies Collegiate Basketball Award of Excellence honors college seniors for their athletic and academic achievement, as well as their community involvement. The award, in its second year, was first presented in Albuquerque after the 2002-2003 basketball season. Every NCAA Division I school had the opportunity to nominate their men and women student-athletes who are competing in their senior year. Last year�s winners were Matt Bonner of Florida who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls and Tiffany Kyser of IUPUI.

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Creamland Dairies has served the youth of New Mexico since 1937. Creamland distributes wholesome, quality dairy products that promote strong bodies and strong minds.

The mission of the Albuquerque Convention and Visitors Bureau is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a visitor and convention destination. For more information, please call 505-842-9918.

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Media Contact: Tania Armenta Vice President of Communications +1 800-733-9918 ext. 3339, +1 505-222-4339 media@itsatrip.org