For the third straight year, Rutgers senior Essence Carson was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year the conference announced at the annual awards banquet on Friday evening.

This is the fourth straight season a Scarlet Knight has won the top defensive league award, as voted on by the head coaches. Carson earned the accolade the last two seasons and Chelsea Newton was recognized in 2005.

Carson, just the second player in the league to win the top defensive honor three straight years, averaged 5.1 rebounds for the Scarlet Knights this season. She grabbed 63 defensive boards in league play, leading Rutgers to the toprated scoring defense (53.3 ppg) in conference only action. Carson is averaging 10.4 points on the offensive side, scoring in double figures in 15 games.

The Scarlet Knights (24-6), are seeded second in the Greensboro Region of this year's NCAA Tournament and will face Robert Morris in the first round this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be aired live on ESPN2 from Des Moines, IA.