The regular season has come to a close for the top conferences in women’s college basketball, which means it’s time for awards. All five of the major conferences — the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC — have announced their end-of-season honors.
As the action on the court shifts to conference tournaments, here’s a look at which players were rewarded for their stellar play during the regular season.
Big East
- Player of the Year: Paige Bueckers, UConn
As expected, Bueckers added another Big East Player of the Year trophy to her collection. She has now won the award in back-to-back seasons and three times overall, which is tied for the most in league history. Bueckers averaged 18.6 points, 4.5 rebounds, five assists and 2.1 steals on 53.4% shooting from the field.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Lashae Dwyer, St. John’s
Dwyer transferred to St. John’s after spending her first three seasons at Miami and made an instant impact on the defensive end. She had at least one steal in every single game she played and averaged a career-high three, which led the Big East and was tied for 12th in the country.
- Freshman of the Year: Sarah Strong, UConn
- Sixth Player of the Year: Ashlynn Shade, UConn
- Co-coaches of the Year: Geno Auriemma, UConn and Cara Consuegra, Marquette
ACC
- Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
- Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame
Hidalgo’s terrific sophomore campaign was rewarded with Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors, making her the third player in ACC history to win both awards in the same season. A menace on both sides of the ball, Hidalgo averaged 24.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.7 steals, the latter of which led the ACC and was good for fourth in the country. Thanks in large part to Hidalgo, the Fighting Irish earned a share of the ACC title.
- Freshman of the Year: Toby Fournier, Duke
- Sixth Player of the Year: Dani Carnegie, Georgia Tech
- Coach of the Year: Wes Moore, NC State
Big Ten
- Player of the Year: JuJu Watkins, USC
No surprise here, as Watkins might win Naismith Player of the Year later this spring. The star sophomore led the Trojans to the Big Ten regular-season title in their first season in the conference, and averaged 24.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and two blocks along the way.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Betts, UCLA
Again, this one was a lock. The 6-foot-7 Betts was a dominant force in the paint for UCLA, whose only conference losses came to USC. Betts averaged a career-high 2.8 blocks per game, which led the Big Ten and was good for fifth in the country.
- Co-freshman of the Year: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Olivia Olson, Michigan
- Sixth Player of the Year: Janiah Barker, UCLA
- Coach of the Year: Lindsey Gottlieb, USC
SEC
- Player of the Year: Madison Booker, Texas
Booker was named Freshman of the Year in the Big 12 last season, and has now earned Player of the Year honors upon Texas’ move to the SEC. The do-it-all sophomore averaged 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals while shooting 41.7% from 3-point range for the Longhorns, who are ranked No. 1 in the country.
- Defensive Player of the Year: Clara Strack, Kentucky
Strack followed Kentucky coach Kenny Brooks from Virginia Tech and made an immediat impact for the Wildcats. A 6-foot-5 center, Strack averaged an SEC-leading 2.5 blocks per game, as well as 6.9 defensive rebounds, which helped Kentucky finish fourth in a loaded SEC.
- Freshman of the Year: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
- Sixth Player of the year: MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina
- Coach of the Year: Vic Schaefer, Texas
Big 12
- Player of the Year: Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Van Lith transferred to TCU for her fifth and final college season and looked rejuvenated in North Texas. The veteran guard averaged 17.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and a career-high 5.4 assists to lead the Horned Frogs to their first-ever Big 12 regular-season title.
- Defensive Player of the Year: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
West Virginia is known for their disruptive defense, which is led by Quinerly, who was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Though just 5-foot-9, Quinerly is a menace on the perimeter and averaged a career-high 3.1 steals.
- Freshman of the Year: Delaney Gibb, BYU
- Sixth Player of the Year: Yaya Felder, Baylor
- Coach of the Year: Mark Campbell, TCU
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
