SAN LUIS OBISPO – After leading all Big West players with a .542 field goal percentage and finishing the regular season ranked third with 15.6 points per game, sophomore forward Kristina Santiago was named to the all-conference first team Monday morning. Santiago’s selection highlighted a three-Mustang contingent as senior forward Megan Harrison earned second team recognition while senior guard Lisa McBride merited honorable mention consideration.

Santiago (above), who also finished the regular season ranked fifth among conference players with a .777 free throw percentage and 10th with 5.6 rebounds per game, became Cal Poly’s fourth-straight pick to the All-Big West first team following Harrison’s inclusion last season and forward Jessica Eggleston’s selection for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons. Harrison, the second-leading scorer in Cal Poly history with 1,411 points and the third-leading rebounder with 662 boards, also earned second team accolades during the 2006-07 campaign. Monday’s announcement marked McBride’s first career all-conference honor.

UC Riverside senior forward Kemie Nkele earned her second Big West Player of the Year award after leading all conference players with 18.7 points per game. UC Davis wing Lauren Juric was named Big West Freshman of the Year while first-year UC Santa Barbara head coach Lindsay Gottlieb earned Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Gauchos to the Big West regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the March 11-14 Big West Tournament at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The complete All-Big West team is available by selecting the above link.

Santiago, named to the 2007-08 Big West All-Freshman Team, capped her regular season ranked 22nd among NCAA Division I players with the .542 field goal percentage while her 15.6 points-per-game scoring average is the seventh-best single-season mark in Mustang history. Having posted double-digit scoring totals in 26-straight contests and 30 of her previous 34 games, Santiago – a two-time Big West Player of the Week selection this season – shot .500 or better from the floor during 17 of Cal Poly’s last 22 outings. Santiago, who blocked a team-best 31 shots during the regular season, also scored 20-plus points on six occasions and reached the 15-point plateau 16 times. Santiago’s 29-point effort at Cal State Bakersfield Jan. 27 remains the highest single-game scoring output by a Mustang since Harrison notched 34 against San Diego State Nov. 29, 2007.

Harrison, who finished the regular season ranked fourth among Big West players with 14.1 points per game, seventh with both a .422 field goal percentage and a .757 free throw percentage and eighth behind 6.1 rebounds per game, led Cal Poly in scoring eight times this year, posted four games of 20-plus points and 14 contests of 15-plus points. With 411 points as of March 9, Harrison – a two-time Big West Player of the Week selection – is also one of only three Mustangs in Cal Poly history to have recorded two-straight 400-plus point seasons. Having figured in all but one of the 116 games Cal Poly has contested since her 2005-06 freshman season, Harrison requires only three additional appearances to match the program record of 118 contests established by guard Sparkle Anderson (2003-08).

One of the Big West’s most-versatile players, McBride finished the regular season ranked 13th among conference players with 5.5 rebounds per game and as Cal Poly’s third-leading scorer with 10.1 points per contest. Undoubtedly one of the conference’s top shooters, McBride paced all Big West players with a .434 three-point percentage and shot .459 from the field. A two-time Big West Player of the Week honoree this season, McBride has totaled at least seven points during 20 of Cal Poly’s 29 contests this year. Additionally, McBride – who snatched a season-best 10 rebounds against UC Santa Barbara Feb. 14 – has paced Cal Poly in boards during 11 of 29 games. The 6-2 McBride, having emerged as Cal Poly’s second-leading distributor this season with 70 assists as of March 9, notched a career-high seven assists against Idaho Nov. 29. McBride’s 52-turnover total is the lowest figure of any Mustang averaging at least 16 minutes per game.

By virtue of finishing in third place in the Big West regular-season standings, the Mustangs (19-10, 11-5) earned a opening-round bye at the Big West Tournament and will contest their first game at the Anaheim Convention Center Thursday, March 12 at 12 noon against the field’s lowest-remaining seed. All of Cal Poly’s tournament games will be broadcast live by Andrew Tomsky on ESPN 1280-AM and at espnradio1280.com.