LORETTO, PA- For the second-straight season, Saint Francis guard Jessica Kovatch (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) has been named to the Nancy Lieberman Award watch list, an award presented to the top point guard in the NCAA.

"I'm really excited and proud of Jess for this recognition again this year," head coach Joe Haigh said.  "The award traditionally goes to one of the biggest stars in the college game and represents everything that Nancy Lieberman stood for in a point guard - a leader, a team player, unselfish, always looking out for others, and always looking for what's in the best interest of the team.  Jess has been a great scorer from Day 1 in our program and is continually working to develop the other areas of her game."

Kovatch was named to the watch list a season ago as a sophomore after averaging just under 21 points per game as a freshman. She responded with a nearly identical campaign last season, averaging just over 21 points per game. The junior did see an uptick in assists to over two per game and in steals (up to over 2.5 per game).

The Selection Committee for the Nancy Lieberman Award is composed of top women's college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. The watch list will get narrowed from 20 to 10 in February and down to five in March.

"t's always great to have a player recognized for her hard work and represent Saint Francis University and everyone in our basketball program on a national level like this."