NEW YORK – The 2026 BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Annual Awards were announced on Thursday morning. The top-ranked UConn Huskies led the way, earning five major awards. 
 
UConn sophomore forward Sarah Strong was named BIG EAST Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Teammate freshman forward Blanca Quiñonez was selected as the freshman of the year and sixth woman of the year honors. Head coach Geno Auriemma earned BIG EAST Coach of the Year presented by Invesco QQQ.
 
Villanova junior forward Brynn McCurry collected most improved player laurels. DePaul’s graduate student forward Meg Newman received the sportsmanship award.
 
An 11-member All-BIG EAST First Team, a six-member Second Team, three Honorable Mentions, a five-member All-Defensive Team, and a five-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.
  
Strong leads the Huskies, averaging 18.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks through 30 games played this season. She is first among BIG EAST players with a .595 field goal percentage. She has recorded 13 20-point performances and eight double-doubles this season. She ranks seventh in the nation in steals (97) and 12th in steals per game (3.23) as she leads the Huskies’ top-ranked scoring defense (50.7). Strong was recently named to the 2026 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Late-Season Team. She is also on the Naismith Trophy Late-Season Team, the Wooden Award Late Midseason Watch List and the Katrina McClain top-10 candidate list. UConn has taken home BIG EAST Player of the Year honors for the 21st time.
 
Quiñonez is the 16th Husky to win BIG EAST Freshman of the Year honors and the third-straight following Strong’s honors last year and Ashlynn Shade in 2024.  She is also the fifth UConn player to earn sixth-woman of the year award. She concluded the regular season averaging 10.0 points on .549 shooting from the field. Quiñonez was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week seven times this year.
 
Auriemma was selected BIG EAST Coach of the Year presented by Invesco QQQ for the 14th time after guiding the Huskies to their 13th undefeated BIG EAST finish. He has led UConn to 47-straight wins, tying the fifth-longest winning streak ever in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball history. UConn heads into the BIG EAST Tournament with a 31-0 overall record, marking the 11th undefeated regular season in program history and the first since the 2017-18 season. Under his leadership, the Huskies lead the nation in scoring margin (37.8), assist/turnover ratio (1.85), assists per game (24.0), field goal percentage (52.5), scoring defense (50.7), steals per game (15.7), and three-point percentage (39.35). On Monday, the team was named the unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll for an eighth straight week. Auriemma has led the Huskies to 656 appearances in the poll during his 41-year career, for most all-time, previously held by Tara VanDerveer, who retired from Stanford in 2024.
 
McCurry came back to the Villanova bench stronger after missing all of the 2024-25 season due to injury. The junior averaged 2.7 points per game and 1.8 rebounds per contest in 11.6 minutes per game in 2023-24. She is currently averaging 10.9 points per game and a team-leading 5.5 rebounds per contest, to go with four 20-or-more-point performances. McCurry has registered 17 double-figure scoring games after coming into the season with only two double-figure scoring contests in her career. 

Newman, the sportsmanship award winner, has demonstrated outstanding leadership, service and character as a veteran returner for the Blue Demons program. She has served her community with service projects, including assembling blankets for Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, taking part in community cleanup initiatives in partnership with Molson Coors “Cheers to the “Our Neighborhood” program, as well as led a youth clinic with the Girls in the Game organization. She graduated with a Political Science and Government degree in June and is currently pursuing a Legal Studies and International Law master’s degree.

Strong was joined by eight other unanimous selections to the All-BIG EAST First Team – UConn graduate student guard Azzi Fudd, Creighton freshman guard Ava Zediker, Marquette junior forward Skylar Forbes and junior guard Halle Vice, Providence graduate student guard Sabou Gueye, Seton Hall junior guard Savannah Catalon and senior forward Mariana Valenzuela, and Villanova sophomore guard Jasmine Bascoe. Husky junior guard KK Arnold rounded out the 10-member team.
 
Quiñonez, DePaul junior guard Kate Novik, Marquette graduate student guard Lee Volker, Villanova junior forward Brynn McCurry, and Xavier junior guard Mariyah Noel earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors.

UConn junior guard Ashlynn Shade, Creighton graduate student forward Grace Boffeli and St. John’s sophomore forward Sa’Mya Wyatt were Honorable Mention selections.
 
The All-Defensive Team features UConn’s Arnold and Strong, Marquette’s Forbes, Seton Hall’s Catalon and Villanova’s Henry.

Quiñonez, Zediker, Creighton guard Neleigh Gessert, Seton Hall guard Zahara Bishop and Villanova guard Kennedy Henry were recognized on the All-Freshman Team. Quiñonez, Zediker, Gessert and Henry were all unanimous selections.

BIG EAST Player of the Year: Sarah Strong, UConn, So., F*
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Blanca Quiñonez, UConn, Fr., F
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Sarah Strong, UConn, So., F
BIG EAST Most Improved Player: Brynn McCurry, Villanova, Jr., F
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award: Meg Newman, DePaul, Gr., F
BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year: Blanca Quiñonez, UConn, Fr., F
BIG EAST Coach of the Year: Geno Auriemma, UConn 
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Azzi Fudd, UConn, Gr., G 
 
First Team 
KK Arnold, UConn, Jr., G
Azzi Fudd, UConn, Gr., G*
Sarah Strong, UConn, So., F*
Ava Zediker, Creighton, Fr., G*
Skylar Forbes, Marquette, Jr., F*
Halle Vice, Marquette, Jr., G*
Sabou Gueye, Providence, Gr., G*
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, Jr., G*
Mariana Valenzuela, Seton Hall, Sr., F*
Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova, So., G*
 
Second Team^
Blanca Quiñonez, UConn, Fr., F
Kate Novik, DePaul, Jr., G
Lee Volker, Marquette, Gr., G
Brooke Moore, St. John’s, Jr., G
Brynn McCurry, Villanova, Jr., F
Mariyah Noel, Xavier, Jr., G
 
Honorable Mention
Ashlynn Shade, UConn, Jr., G
Grace Boffeli, Creighton, Gr., F
Sa’Mya Wyatt, St. John’s, So., F
 
All-Defensive Team
KK Arnold, UConn, Jr., G
Sarah Strong, UConn, So., F
Skylar Forbes, Marquette, Jr., F
Savannah Catalon, Seton Hall, Jr., G
Kennedy Henry, Villanova, Fr., G
 
All-Freshman Team
Blanca Quiñonez, UConn, Fr., F*
Ava Zediker, Creighton, Fr., G*
Neleigh Gessert, Creighton, Fr., G*
Zahara Bishop, Seton Hall, Fr., G
Kennedy Henry, Villanova, Fr., G*
 
* Unanimous selection 
^ Due to a tie in voting, there are six players on the second-team