KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Minnesota State women's basketball senior forward Ali Wilkinson (Blue Mounds, Wis.) has been nominated for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Allstate Good Works Team.
 
The announcement came this week from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Allstate Insurance Company.
 
The award recognizes a select group of college basketball student-athletes who have made significant contributions to the greater good of their communities through volunteerism and civic service. In its second year, the Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams honor players at all levels of college basketball who represent the sport's finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers. The student-athletes nominated for this prestigious award embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back.
 
This past summer Wilkinson took part in a missionary trip to Peru to tell people about Jesus, pray, play with children, pick up trash and to build shelters for the homeless and abused women and children. The 6-0 forward went through New Creation World Outreach Church in Mankato from July 29 through August 22. New Creation helped Wilkinson have the experience of a lifetime and gave her the heart to go back long term after her playing career wraps up with the Mavericks.
 
"I want to be a missionary," said Wilkinson. The forward stated her favorite part of the trip was the children she got the opportunity to play with.
 
From the 84 WBCA nominees and 118 NABC nominees submitted by coaches and sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, special voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II, III and the NAIA. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.
 
"When it comes to moral character and integrity, few can compare to Ali Wilkinson," stated head coach Emilee Thiesse. "She is one of the most selfless people I have had the pleasure of knowing and her positivity and energy are contagious. I have been in college athletics long enough to know that it is rare to have a player as talented as Ali who has the humility and generosity that she does."
 
The Blue Mounds, Wis., native leads active Mavericks in career double-doubles with 27. She became the 20^th athlete in program history to reach 1,000 career points. A season ago she was named All-NSIC First Team, received second team all-region honors and was named ABCA Honorable Mention All-American. Through the first six games her senior campaign, Wilkinson is averaging 17.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while connecting on 27-of-50 (54%) of her shots from the field and 31-of-43 (72%) of her shots at the charity stripe.
 
More information about the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team and the Allstate NABC Good Works Team is available at wbca.org and nabc.org.