Renee Montgomery, who helped guide the UConn women's basketball team to the NCAA championship and an unbeaten season, is one of five finalists for the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup, which is presented annually to the college woman athlete of the year.

The other finalists include Colorado's Jennifer Barringer (track and field), Penn State's Nicole Fawcett (volleyball), Georgia's Courtney Kupets (gymnastics) and Washington's Danielle Lawrie (softball).

The winner will be announced on Monday, June 22 at Columbia University in New York and will be presented by softball pitching legend Lisa Fernandez, the 1993 Honda-Broderick Cup winner.

Montgomery was a four-year starter for UConn at point guard and was a consensus All-American in leading the Huskies to the 2009 national title. She is one of only three players in UConn history with at least 1,500 career points and 500 career assists, is the only player in school history to rank in the top 10 in points, assists, steals and 3-pointers, and started 139 consecutive games.

Montgomery is currently playing for Minnesota in the WNBA, where she was the No. 4 overall pick in the league's April draft. She's averaging 6.0 points in 16 minutes off the bench for the Lynx.

- DAY STAFF REPORTS