Louisville’s senior forward Emily Engstler has made the cut, and is one of 10 players named to the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of The Year Semifinalist.
.@NaismithTrophy 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐘 𝐒𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭
📰: https://t.co/LbdNB3TGOt #GoCards pic.twitter.com/PeMKZ9zoA2
— Louisville Women’s Basketball (@LouisvilleWBB) February 28, 2022
Engstler has been reliable on defense all year for the Cards, and completely dominant on defense in some games this season for the Cards. The versatile forward leads the ACC with 2.5 spg and ranks 5th in blocks with 1.9 per game. Emily also has 10 double-doubles this season, including two consecutive 15 rebound performances against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
Engstler is averaging 11.6ppg, 9.1rpg, 2.3apg, 2.5spg and 1.9bpg in her first and quite possibly her only season at UofL.
UofL has some history with this award, in 2019-20, Kylee Shook was one of four players named as a Naismith Defensive Player of The Year Finalist.
Emily was also named ACC Player Of The Week after averaging 17ppg and 12.5rpg over the last games.
When you average 17 pts and 12.5 rebounds over two games…@em__baller is your ACC Player of the Week 🔥
📰: https://t.co/aDumW8m0x1#GoCards pic.twitter.com/fmVYATdLj8
— Louisville Women’s Basketball (@LouisvilleWBB) February 28, 2022
Below, you can read the official press release on her being named a Defensive POY semifinalist:
Press Release from UofL Athletics:
Louisville’s Engstler Named Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist
Emily Engstler is one of 10 players named a semifinalist.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 2022
On the Web: https://uofl.me/3HxoPvU
ATLANTA – The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced today that University of Louisville women’s basketball senior forward Emily Engstler has been named a 2022 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Semifinalist.
She is one of 10 players named a semifinalist and one of two players from the Atlantic Coast Conference, joined by Georgia Tech’s Lorela Cubaj.
Engstler leads the ACC with 2.5 steals per game and her 1.9 blocks per game rank fifth. She recorded seven steals in the win over Pitt, which marked the first time that a UofL player has had seven steals in a game since Bria Smith did it twice during the 2014-15 season.
Her 52 blocks this season are tied with Kylee Shook for the fourth most all-time in Louisville program history.
Engstler ranks third in the ACC with 9.1 rebounds per game and has led the Cardinals in rebounding in 25 of 28 games. She has double-doubles in her last three games and has 10 on the season, which ranks fourth in the ACC and is the most by a Louisville player since Shook had 11 during the 2019-20 season.
Shook was one of four players named a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Finalist in 2019-20.
The Cardinals open play in the ACC Tournament on Friday night at 6 p.m. ET. They will play either Miami, Duke or Pitt.
