Kentucky senior guard Rhyne Howard is an AP First Team All-American for the third time in her career, making her just the ninth women’s basketball player to ever earn first-team honors for a third time.

“That’s huge,” Howard said. “Definitely selective company. To be a three-time, and one of nine, now that’s something you had to work for. I don’t know how to explain it. I was glad I was able to accomplish that.”

Howard had a standout season for Kentucky, averaging 20.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals during the regular season and helping the Wildcats upset South Carolina for the SEC tournament title.

The last player to earn three-time All-American status was Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu.

The team was announced Wednesday and also includes South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith, Michigan’s Naz Hillmon and Stanford’s Haley Jones. Both Hillmon and Jones tied for the fifth spot, marking the first time that there has ever been a tie for AP All-American.

Boston, Clark and Smith were all unanimous choices.

South Carolina’s A’ja Wilson, Baylor’s Brittney Griner, Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw, Duke’s Alana Beard, Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris, and UConn’s Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore are also on the list of players to earn first-team honors at least three times. Boston has a chance to earn a third honor next year.

Boston has been a dominant force all season long for South Carolina, who spent the entire season atop the AP Poll and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. Both she and Clark, who became the first women’s player to lead the country in both scoring and assists, are up for National Player of the Year. Clark averaged 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.9 assists, helping Iowa win both the Big Ten regular season and tournament championships.

It’s Smith’s second consecutive first-team honors. The senior forward averaged 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds to help the Bears win a 12th consecutive Big 12 regular-season championship.

Hillmon is the first Michigan player to earn first-team honors, one year after being named to the second team. Jones, who won Most Outstanding Player of last year’s Final Four, averaged 13.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

Howard, Clark, Boston and Smith were all named to the preseason All-America team. UConn’s Paige Bueckers was named to the preseason team but missed two months with a knee injury and earned honorable mention honors. It’s the first time since 2007 that the AP All-America team does not feature a player from UConn.

No. 7 seed Kentucky stunned No. 1 South Carolina 64-62 on Sunday to win the team’s first SEC tournament championship in 40 years.

The Wildcats, trailing by as many as 15 points during the game, came from behind to defeat South Carolina in Nashville. Dre’una Edwards hit the game-winning 3-pointer with five seconds left to seal the upset win.

Edwards finished the game with a game-high 27 points to go along with nine rebounds and one assist. Rhyne Howard notched 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks. The Kentucky senior was named SEC tournament MVP for her performance.

Howard and Edwards helped erase a 12-point South Carolina advantage down the stretch, with Kentucky holding the Gamecocks to just seven points in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats outshot South Carolina 42.1 to 33.3 percent and forced 13 costly South Carolina turnovers.

South Carolina forward Aliyah Boston extended her double-double streak to 24 consecutive games with a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds.

The Wildcats, who started the season 2-8 in the SEC, became the first team to take down the top three seeds on their way to winning the SEC tournament championship, the program’s first since 1982. Kentucky defeated No. 2 seed LSU and No. 3 seed Tennessee before upsetting South Carolina, officially booking their ticket to the NCAA Tournament.