NEW YORK – The 2025 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Annual Awards features four UConn major award winners, announced on Thursday morning. Redshirt-senior guard Paige Bueckers was voted BIG EAST Player of the Year for the second-straight year, rookie forward Sarah Strong received BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors, and sophomore guard Ashlynn Shade was named Sixth-Woman of the Year award. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma earned BIG EAST Co-Coach of the Year presented by Invesco QQQ.
 
St. John’s senior guard Lashae Dwyer nabbed BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, while DePaul senior guard Jorie Allen collected most improved player laurels. Allen was also named BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
 
The Sportsmanship Award was given to Creighton graduate student guard Molly Mogensen and Georgetown graduate student guard Kelsey Ransom. Marquette head coach Cara Consuegra shared coach of the recognition with Coach Auriemma.
 
An 11-member All-BIG EAST First Team, a five-member Second Team, four Honorable Mentions and a first-member All-Freshman Team were also selected. Major awards and All-BIG EAST Teams were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches who were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own players.
  
Through 18 league games, Bueckers finished fourth in scoring (18.06) and steals (2.31), first in assists (5.13) and second in field goal percentage (.556). For the second consecutive year she leads player in free-throw shooting (.959) in league action. Bueckers, a three-time BIG EAST Player of the Year, leads the nation with a 3.69 assist-turnover ratio. Against top-25 opponents this season, she is averaging 19.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. The guard enters the postseason with 14 20-point games. She was named to The Athletic's All-America Team First Team earlier this week and is one of five finalists for the 2025 Nancy Lieberman Award. She was placed on the Naismith Trophy Midseason Team, the Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year Watchlist and the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25. UConn has taken home BIG EAST Player of the Year honors for the 20th time.
 
Auriemma was selected BIG EAST Co-Coach of the Year presented by Invesco QQQ for the 13th time after leading the Huskies to their 12th undefeated BIG EAST finish. The Huskies enter postseason play as the No. 1 seed in the league’s tournament with a 28-3 overall mark and top five rankings in both national polls. Consuegra, first-year head coach at Marquette, earns the co-coach of the year nod after leading the Golden Eagles to the four seed in the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament. The squad reached 20 wins in 28 games, tied for the second-fastest road to 20 wins by a first-year head coach in program history.
 
Strong is the 15th Husky to win BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors and second-straight following Shade’s honors last year. Strong is third among league freshmen in scoring (16.13) and first in rebounding (7.9). She leads the BIG EAST with a .584 field goal percentage, good for 18^th in the nation, while her 1.48 blocks per game is good for second. Strong was unanimously selected as The Athletic’s Freshman of the Year announced on Wednesday. She is also one of five finalists for the 2025 Cheryl Miller Award. Strong was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week 10 times and player of the week three times this season.
 
Dwyer anchored a St. John’s defense which enters the postseason ranked 25th nationally, allowing just 56.3 points per game. Dwyer leads the BIG EAST in steals (88) and steals per game (3.03). The Red Storm is third in the league averaging 8.93 steals in 29 games.
 
Allen has scored double figures in all 31 games this season. She is second in the conference in scoring (20.06) without attempting a three-point field goal, the first player to do so in the BIG EAST since 2009-10 (Monique Reed, Louisville). Allen also averages 5.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She has increased her scoring average in conference games to 20.6 ppg after posting 11.6 ppg in 2023-24 for a +9-margin year over year. She set DePaul’s single-game free throw record (17) against Georgetown in February. 
 
Despite playing nearly 10 minutes less per game than last year, Shade has become a crucial part of UConn’s bench. She is averaging 8.3 points on .481 shooting from the field in 31 games. The sophomore has significantly increased her assist-turnover ratio and steals totals (48). Shade, the 2023-24 freshman of the year honoree, has become a more consistent shooter with a 43.8 three-point field goal percentage compared to 35.6 last season.

Mogensen and Ransom share the sportsmanship award as they both have made impacts on and off the court this season. Mogensen has worked at Creighton’s Abilities Basketball Camp, assisting with developmentally challenged youths while also spending time with the Boys and Girls Club. She is a consistent contributor to Abide – a local Omaha group for underprivileged youth. Mogensen is fourth among conference players averaging 3.93 assists per game.  Ransom is the co-founder of the Georgetown Hoyos, a women’s affinity group for Georgetown athletes. She has hosted a Title IX training event in collaboration with the VOICEINSPORT Foundation. Ransom also has volunteered with Strong Girls United for a National Girls and Women in Sports Day clinic. Ransom is leading all BIG EAST players with 19.86 points per game in 29 appearances.

Bueckers and Strong were two of four unanimous selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Additional unanimous picks include Creighton duo of senior guard Lauren Jensen and senior guard/forward Morgan Maly.
 
Allen, Ransom, Marquette sophomore forward Skylar Forbes, Seton Hall graduate student forward Faith Masonius, and Villanova freshman guard Jasmine Bascoe also earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors.
 
The All-BIG EAST Second Team included Butler senior guard Kilyn McGuff, Marquette senior guard Lee Volker, Providence graduate student guard Grace Efosa, St. John’s senior guard Lashae Dwyer, and Villanova sophomore guard Maddie Webber. Creighton graduate student guard Molly Mogensen, DePaul junior guard Taylor Johnson-Matthews, Georgetown senior center Ariel Jenkins and Providence senior forward Olivia Olsen were Honorable Mention selections.
 
UConn’s Strong, Seton Hall’s Eads and Villanova’s Bascoe. Georgetown guard Khadee Hession and Xavier guard Meri Kanerva were also recognized on the All-Freshman Team.
 
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Lashae Dwyer, St. John’s, Sr., G
BIG EAST Most Improved Player: Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
BIG EAST Co-Sportsmanship Award: Molly Mogensen, Creighton, Gr., G / Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year: Ashlynn Shade, UConn, So., G
BIG EAST Co-Coaches of the Year: Geno Auriemma, UConn / Cara Consuegra, Marquette

First Team*
Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G^
Azzi Fudd, UConn, Gr., G
Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F^
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, Sr., G^
Morgan Maly, Creighton, Sr., G/F^
Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
Skylar Forbes, Marquette, So., F
Jada Eads, Seton Hall, Fr., G
Faith Masonius, Seton Hall, Gr., F
Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova, Fr., G
 
Second Team
Kilyn McGuff, Butler, Sr., G
Lee Volker, Marquette, Sr., G
Grace Efosa, Providence, Gr., G
Lashae Dwyer, St. John’s, Sr., G
Maddie Webber, Villanova, So., G
 
Honorable Mention
Molly Mogensen, Creighton, Gr., G
Taylor Johnson-Matthews, DePaul, Jr., G
Ariel Jenkins, Georgetown, Sr., C
Olivia Olsen, Providence, Sr., F
 
All-Freshman Team
Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F^
Khadee Hession, Georgetown, Fr., G
Jada Eads, Seton Hall, Fr., G^
Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova, Fr., G^
Meri Kanerva, Xavier, Fr., G
 
* Due to a tie in voting, there are 11 players on the first team.
^ unanimous selection