NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference's women’s basketball head coaches have voted James Madison as the preseason favorite to win the 2025-26 Sun Belt title.
After being crowned the 2024-25 Sun Belt regular season champions and being the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament, James Madison received nine first-place votes and 189 points to earn the preseason honor. James Madison was 30-6 overall and went 18-0 in league play.
The reigning Sun Belt tournament champion, Arkansas State, was picked second with 174 points, just three points ahead of Troy (174) in third. Old Dominion (151) was selected fourth and Southern Miss (125), under the direction of first-year head coach Missy Bilderback, was selected fifth.
James Madison redshirt senior Peyton McDaniel was voted the Sun Belt’s Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. McDaniel was the Sun Belt Player of the Year last season after averaging 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while boasting 14 double-doubles.
The Sun Belt also announced its Preseason All-Sun Belt First, Second, and Third Teams, as nine different programs had at least one honoree among the 15 selections. McDaniel was joined on the First Team by Old Dominion’s En’Dya Buford, Troy’s Zay Dyer, Southern Miss’ Jakayla Johnson and Arkansas State’s Crislyn Rose.
The Sun Belt Conference will conduct its annual
Women’s Basketball Media Day on Tuesday, October 21 via Zoom.
The regular season tips off Monday, November 3 with the third year and first round of the MAC-SBC Challenge. Each Sun Belt Conference women’s basketball program will play an 18-game league slate beginning in December.
The 2026 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship returns to the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., March 3-9.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year:
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
En’Dya Buford, Old Dominion [Gr. | G | Memphis, Tenn.]
Zay Dyer, Troy [Sr. | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Clinton, Miss.]
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State [Jr. | G | Sachse, Texas]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison [Gr. | F | Norfolk, Va.]
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State [Jr. | G | Marietta, Ga.]
Rachel Leggett, Troy [Sr. | G | Navarre, Fla.]
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State [Sr. | G | Smyrna, Tenn.]
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina [Gr. | G | San Diego, Calif.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Ashley Baez, Troy [Sr. | G | Dominican Republic]
Simone Cunningham, Old Dominion [Sr. | G | Pleasant Grove, Ala.]
Meredith Maier, Marshall [Sr. | F | Fairmont, W.Va.]
Elena Pericic, App State [Sr. | F | Rijeka, Croatia]
Meloney Thames, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Philadelphia, Miss.]
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. James Madison (9) – 189
2. Arkansas State (3) – 174
3. Troy (1) – 171
4. Old Dominion (1) – 151
5. Southern Miss – 125
6. Coastal Carolina – 104
7. Georgia State – 102
8. Marshall – 100
9. App State – 94
10. Georgia Southern – 73
11. Louisiana – 67
12. Texas State – 55
13. ULM – 36
14. South Alabama – 29
Parentheses indicate first-place votes