Massachusetts senior center Jennifer Butler was named an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press, becoming the first Minutewoman to be given the honor since Sue Peters was a Kodak Regional Selection in 1980.

The only Atlantic 10 player picked for the team, Butler finished her Maroon and White career in style. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native led the nation in rebounding at 14.7 per game, and was second in the conference in scoring, averaging 17.5 per game. The A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Butler led the conference in steals, swiping 2.43 per game, and was fifth in blocks, swatting away an average of 1.25 per game.

Butler, who is also a 2002-03 Kodak All-American finalist and first-team All-Atlantic 10, ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list for the Minutewomen, having scored 1,490 points. Also the school’s all-time leading rebounder with 1,328, she is the only Minutewoman to ever reach the 1,000-plateau in both points and rebounds. She is also first on the Maroon and White’s career list in free throws attempted with 688, steals with 239, and rebounding average with 11.6 per game. She is also the A-10 career leader with 719 rebounds in regular season league games

Butler posted a double-double in 23 games this season, including three 30-plus point performances and four 20-plus rebounding games. She was a four-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week and three-time Dinn Brothers/UMass Athlete of the Week selection.

On December 28, 2002, she became the first player in conference history to grab 30 rebounds in a game. Her 30 boards against the University of Florida were also the fifth highest total in NCAA Division I history and the most by any Gator opponent.

Two weeks later, her career-high 31 points set a Mullins Center record for points by a women’s basketball player.

The Minutewomen, who surged out to an 8-1 start, finished the season at 14-14 and were eliminated by La Salle in the first round of the Atlantic 10 tournament.

“Being an All-American is an amazing feat for Jen, and it is well deserved,” UMass coach Marnie Dacko said. “She has had a tremendous career here, and this is a very fitting way for it to end. She should certainly be very proud of herself, and this award speaks to how great of a player she is and how hard she’s worked to get there.”