NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame sophomore guard Skylar Diggins is among a group of 25 players who have been named to the 2010-11 preseason “Wade Watch” list for the State Farm Wade Trophy Division I Player of the Year, it was announced Wednesday by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Diggins (South Bend, Ind./Washington) becomes the sixth Fighting Irish player named to the “Wade Watch” list in the past eight seasons, and the third in the past four years, following in the recent footsteps of Charel Allen (2007-08) and Lindsay Schrader (2009-10).

“This is a well-deserved honor for Skylar, especially in light of the success she had as a freshman last year,” Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw said. “She has a tremendous competitive drive and her work ethic is also exceptional, and with a full year of college under her belt, I would expect that she will continue to grow and develop as a major contributor for our program.”

As a freshman in ’09-10, Diggins was an Associated Press and State Farm Coaches’ honorable mention All-America choice, in addition to earning second-team all-BIG EAST plaudits and a unanimous selection to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.

Those honors came following one of the finest rookie seasons in the 33-year history of Fighting Irish women’s basketball, with Diggins becoming the first freshman in 17 seasons to lead Notre Dame in scoring and the first Fighting Irish rookie in 16 years to top 100 assists in her debut season. What’s more, she finished as just the third player in program history (and the first freshman) to log 400 points, 100 assists and 75 steals in a single season.