Elizabeth Williams named to AP Preseason All-American team

Another day, another Blue Devil center named an All-American.

After freshman Jahlil Okafor was voted AP Player of the Year on the men's side Monday, Duke senior Elizabeth Williams was selected to the AP Preseason All-American team Tuesday, becoming the first Blue Devil to receive that distinction since Monique Curry in 2005.

Williams is no stranger to being an All-American—she has been included on the AP All-American third team following each of her first three seasons in Durham. For the Blue Devils to make a deep run this season, the center—the lone returning starter from last year's team—will need to put up All-American-worthy numbers yet again.

As a junior, Williams picked up her third consecutive ACC Defensive Player of the Year award, averaging 3.1 blocks per game—good for 13th in the nation—to go with her 7.6 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-3 center was also a force on the offensive end, chipping in 13.8 points per contest as Duke's second-leading scorer and knocking down a career-best 52.6 percent of her field goal attempts.

With the departure of a talented group of guards and the arrival of a highly-touted group of freshmen, Williams will have to be a dominant presence on the interior for head coach Joanne P. McCallie's team.

Having breezed through two exhibitions, the Blue Devils will begin the season Nov. 16 at Alabama. Duke's home opener is Nov. 23 against Marquette.