NEW ORLEANS – Georgia Southern forward Kishyah Anderson has been named Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, headlining the league’s 2025-26 All-Sun Belt teams and postseason awards following a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Anderson averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while leading Georgia Southern to its first Sun Belt regular season title in program history. The transfer from Presbyterian College became a three-time player of the week honoree this season, averaging 16.2 points while shooting 53.7 percent from the floor in league action. The forward reached double-digit scoring 20 times this season including nine games with at least 20 points, while recording three double-doubles.
The Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, Troy's Zay Dyer finished the regular season ranked first nationally in double-doubles (22), second in total rebounds (394) fourth in rebounds per game (13.1) and 12
th in defensive rebounds (8.3). The forward is two rebounds away from breaking Troy's single-season record for rebounds. Dyer averages 14.4 points per game and ranks second in the league in blocks with 44 on the year.
The Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, Timaya Lewis-Eutsey transferred to Marshall from VCU and became one of the league’s most dominant players. A three-time Sun Belt Player of the Week honoree and a USBWA National Player of the Week, Lewis-Eutsey leads the league in scoring (19.4), steals (3.6) and ranks fifth in assists (3.9) per game. The senior scored at least 30 points in six games this season and closed out the regular season with 12-consecutive games scoring in double-figures. Lewis-Eutsey is one of only two players in NCAA Division I with 35 points and eight steals in a game this season.
Coastal Carolina’s Kinsea Grimes earns the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year award after making an immediate impact in her debut campaign. Grimes averages 11.3 points per game and became the first true freshman at Coastal to average double-digit points since the 2011-12 season. She became a fixture in the Chanticleers' startling lineup, starting 18 of 29 games played with 16 double-digit scoring performances. She scored a career-high 25 points against Gardner Webb while posting the first double-double of her career with 11 rebounds.
Arkansas State's Mimi McCollister earns Sun Belt Sixth Woman of the Year after finishing the season with 7.8 points per game off the bench and 2.7 assists, while also snagging 3.5 rebounds per contest in 19 minutes per outing. Finishing second on the team in assists and third in steals, she averaged 1.86 steals per game and was part of a historic defense, as the Red Wolves shattered program records in turnovers forced in a season (843) and steals (468), while also breaking the Sun Belt record for most steals in a single season. McCollister shot 36.1 percent from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc.
In her second year as the head coach at Georgia Southern, Hana Haden garnered Sun Belt Coach of the Year recognition after leading the Eagles to their first Sun Belt regular season championship. Georgia Southern went 23-6 overall, setting a new single season wins record for the program. The Eagles tied a school record for most home wins in a season with 14 and recorded more than 20 wins for just the second time in the last 23 seasons. Haden’s crew is one of just two teams in the conference with four players averaging double-digit scoring with a team field goal percentage of 45 percent, which ranks first in the league. The Eagles are also one of the Sun Belt’s top defensive teams, allowing just 59.7 points per game against league opponents.
Georgia Southern and Troy each earned three All-Sun Belt selections, landing a player on each of the first, second and third teams. Arkansas State and James Madison each had two honorees while Marshall, Coastal Carolina, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, and Georgia State each had one.
The 2026 Visit Pensacola Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Championship presented by Air Force Reserve will take place March 3-9 at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla., with all 14 Sun Belt institutions competing in the single-elimination tournament.
2025-26 Sun Belt Women’s Basketball Post Season Awards
Player of the Year
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Defensive Player of the Year
Zay Dyer, Troy
Newcomer of the Year
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Freshman of the Year
Kinsea Grimes, Coastal Carolina
Sixth Woman of the Year
Mimi McCollister, Arkansas State
Coach of the Year
Hana Haden, Georgia Southern
All-Sun Belt Conference First Team
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Destiny Garrett, Georgia Southern
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss
Fortuna Ngnawo, Troy
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team
En’Dya Buford, Old Dominion
McKenna Eddings, Georgia Southern
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State
Emani Jenkins, Troy
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina
All-Sun Belt Defensive Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Bree Robinson, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State