INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – Stability continued among the top five teams in The Associated Press women’s poll, led by defending NCAA champion and still-unbeaten UConn (29-0). The Huskies extending their record 622 straight appearances - dating back to the 1993-94 preseason vote – with coach Geno Auriemma sitting as the all-time record holder with 655 appearances.
No. 2 UCLA continued to keep pace nationally while clinching the Big Ten regular season crown. On down the rankings is Princeton, returning after a week’s absence, coming in at No. 25 while bumping out Tennessee. The Lady Vols and second-year coach Kim Caldwell are on a dubious program record downside losing four straight and seven of their last nine, with No. 6 LSU on the road and No. 5 Vanderbilt at home still to play finishing out the regular season before the Southeastern Conference Tournament.
This is the last week Power Four teams are able to get into their best position for next week’s conference tournaments and further impress the NCAA committee, while the remaining mid-majors head to two weeks’ worth of season-ending competition leading to Selection Sunday on March 15.
The USBWA women’s awards, organized under Mel Greenberg, the USBWA Vice President for women’s basketball, are drawn from weekly conference honors as well as at-large additions. Nominations are welcome as each seven-day period rolls along to make sure no one is inadvertently overlooked.
For the period through Sunday, Feb. 22, the five Ann Meyers Drysdale national women’s honorees of the week are Rice guard Hailey Adams; Iowa center Ava Heiden; Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo; TCU guard Olivia Miles; and South Carolina center Madina Okot. The Tamika Catchings freshman of the week is USC guard Jazzy Davidson, and the team of the week is Clemson.
Adams, a 6-foot-1 redshirt junior guard out of San Antonio, Texas, helped keep Rice (24-3, 14-0) on top of the American Conference and towing a 19-game win streak. In a 79-72 home win over preseason favorite South Florida, Adams had 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. She then helped keep to streak alive with 11 points, a career-high 19 rebounds, four blocks and an assist in a 60-58 road win over East Carolina. Teammate Dominique Ennis scored a game-winning shot from deep with 12 seconds left to seal it. Adams was the American’s Player of the Week.
Heiden, a 6-4 sophomore center out of Sherwood, Ore., helped Iowa (22-5, 13-3) to a 3-0 week as the Hawkeyes shot up four spots in this week’s poll to No. 9. Heiden shot 11-for-17 from the field for 24 points, 20 in the second half, and added 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals for her eighth double-double in a 62-44 home win Sunday over then-No. 6 Michigan, played before Iowa’s nation-leading 50th straight sellout. Earlier, in an 83-74 win at Purdue, Heiden was 10-12 from the field, scoring 21 points with 13 boards, and started the week in a 90-67 win at Nebraska shooting 12-for-15 with 27 points, 11 boards, three assists, and three blocks. She was the Big Ten Player of the Week, and this is her second USBWA honor on the season.
Hidalgo, a 5-6 junior guard out of Merchantville, N.J., helped Notre Dame (18-9, 10-6) to a pair of wins scoring a near triple-double in Sunday’s 88-63 triumph over SMU with 31 points, 9 boards and 11 steals. She preceded that by shooting 10-for-20 from the field for 26 points with 3-for-4 from distance, five rebounds and four assists in a lopsided 78-54 victory at Wake Forest. Hidalgo has reached 25 points in at least two consecutive games five times this season. She was the Player of the Week in the Atlantic Coast Conference and earned her second USBWA award this season to add to previous honors.
Miles, a 5-10 graduate guard out of Phillipsburg, N.J., started the week for TCU (25-4, 13-3) with 18 points in a 72-50 win at Houston. Miles then had a triple-double, scoring 15 of her 26 points in the final 5:26 of the fourth quarter, to go with 10 rebounds and 10 assists in an 80-73 comeback win at home over Iowa State. The Horned Frogs trailed 66-53 with 7:35 left before winning their fourth straight, and tied Texas with a nation-leading 41st straight victory at home. Miles added another Big 12 Player of the Week nod on Monday to go with her third USBWA honor this season. TCU moved up one to 11th in Monday’s AP Poll.
Okot, a 6-6 graduate center out of Mumias, Kenya, had 16 points and 16 rebounds in a No. 3 South Carolina’s 76-57 win at then-No. 25 Alabama. She followed with 17 points in an 85-48 home win over then-No. 17 Ole Miss, a 21st straight win by the Gamecocks over the Rebels going back to 2009. South Carolina (27-2, 13-1) clinched a tie for the regular season SEC title and the top seed for the SEC Tournament. Okot picked up an SEC Co-Player of the Week honor on Monday to go with her first USBWA award.
Davidson, a 6-1 guard/forward out of Clackamas, Ore., had 24 points with six assists to start off the week with what was USC’s (17-10, 9-7) sixth straight win, 66-59 over Wisconsin. Then, in Sunday’s 88-83 loss at then-No. 10 Ohio State, Davidson shot 11-for-22 from the field and 6-for-9 from deep, scoring a career-high 32 points with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block. Davidson has won four USBWA freshman awards this season and on Monday earned her fourth straight Big Ten Freshman of the Week award after reaching 20 points for the 11th time.
Clemson (19-9, 10-6) played one game, but it was a big one, winning 53-51 over then-No. 9 Duke, as Hannah Kohn ended the Blue Devils’ 17-game winning streak with a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left in regulation. The Tigers reached 10 victories in the ACC for the first time since 2001. Demeara Hinds scored 13 points, while Taylor Johnson-Matthews and Mia Moore each scored 11 points. Clemson finishes this week with two stops at California and Stanford.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a women’s National Player of the Year. For the 2012-13 season, the national and weekly player award became named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale while the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings, which was applied at the start of the 2019-20 season.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for both individual awards, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA.
The winners of the 2026 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA’s annual awards event on site at the 2025-26 NCAA Women's Final Four in Phoenix.
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
2025-26 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
• Week ending Nov. 9: Meghan Andersen, Fairfield; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Liv McGill, Florida; Taliah Scott, Baylor; Fadima Tall, Princeton (National); Jazzy Davidson, Southern Cal (Freshman); UConn (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 16: Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy; Audi Crooks Iowa State; Olivia Olson, Michigan; Sayvia Sellers, Washington; Sydney Shaw, West Virginia (National); Addi Mack, Maryland (Freshman); UCLA (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 23: Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Azzi Fudd, Connecticut; Ava Heiden, Iowa; Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina; Clara Strack, Kentucky (National); Lara Somfai, Stanford (Freshman); Rhode Island (Team).
• Week ending Nov. 30: Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray State; Gabriela Jacquez, UCLA; Indya Nivar, North Carolina (National); Madison Francis, Mississippi State (Freshman); Texas (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 7: Lauren Betts, UCLA; Kaety L’amoreaux, Fairfield; Megan Nestor, North Texas; Medina Okot, South Carolina; Olivia Olson, Michigan (National); Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma (Freshman); Villanova (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 14: Raegan Beers, Oklahoma; Madison Booker, Texas; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame; Fadima Tall, Princeton (National). Kamryn McLaurin, Houston Christian; Mia Pauldo, Tennessee (Freshman); Arizona State (Team).
• Week ending Dec. 21: Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Olivia Miles, TCU, Sarah Strong, UConn (National); Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga (Freshman); Texas Tech (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 4: Mikayla Blakes, Vermont; Avery Howell, Washington; Tonie Morgan, Kentucky; Nikola Priede, Vermont; Taliah Scott, Baylor (National); Uche Izoje, Syracuse (Freshman); Duke (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 11: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Bailey Maupin, Texas Tech; Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame; Kadida Toure, Long Island U (National); Mia Pauldo, Tennessee (Freshman); Vanderbilt (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 18: Dani Carnegi, Georgia; Dominique Darius, Syracuse; Stailee Heard, Oklahoma State; Nasi Simmons, Columbua; Hannah Stuelke, Iowa (National); Zahara Bishop, Seton Hall (Freshman); Louisville (Team).
• Week ending Jan. 25: Zoe Brooks, NC State; Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss; Kennedie Shuler, Oregon State; Tristen Taylor, Temple; Riley Weiss, Columbia (National); Aaliyah Chavez, Oklahoma (Freshman); Iowa (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 1: Taylee Chirrick, Montana State; Audi Crooks, Iowa State; Sayvia Sellers, Washington; Clara Strack, Kentucky; Sarah Strong, UConn (National); Jazzy Davidson, USC (Freshman); George Mason (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 8: Jaloni Cambridge, Ohio State; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall; Gisella Maul, California; Kiki Rice, UCLA (National); Jaliya Davis, Kansas; Francesca Schiro, Siena (Freshmen); North Carolina (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 15: Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova; Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt; Maggie Doogan, Richmond; Megan Norris, UC Davis; Olivia Miles, TCU (National); Jazzy Davidson, USC (Freshman); Maryland (Team).
• Week ending Feb. 22: Hailey Adams, Rice; Ava Heiden, Iowa; Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Olivia Miles, TCU; Madina Okot, South Carolina (National); Jazzy Davidson, USC (Freshman); Clemson (Team).