NEW ORLEANS — UNCW graduate student Gracie Sistrunk and senior Lyvia Trimp were named the Sun Belt Pair of the Year to headline the 2026 Sun Belt beach volleyball postseason awards and All-Sun Belt teams announced Wednesday. The honors were voted upon by the conference’s seven head coaches. 
 
Southern Miss graduate student Iustina Corcoz was named the Newcomer of the Year, Coastal Carolina freshman Courtney Burnham was selected as the Freshman of the Year and Coastal Carolina head coach Collin Wilson was honored as the Coach of the Year. 

               
 
Sistrunk and Trimp became the first repeat recipients of the league’s top honor and made it three-straight Pair of the Year nods for the Seahawks. The tandem posted a 23-7 overall mark—all coming at the No. 1 flight—and closed the regular season riding a 15-match winning streak. 
 
Corcoz reaped Southern Miss’ first-ever Newcomer of the Year honor after compiling an 11-18 individual mark across 29 appearances on the season. The Bucharest, Romania, native went 10-16 at the No. 4 flight and 1-2 at the No. 5 flight, primarily pairing with Y-Nhu Do (6-10) and Margarita Grigoreva (3-7). 
 
Burnham earned Coastal Carolina’s third-straight Freshman of the Year accolade, following in the footsteps of Denisse Morgenstern (2024) and Frida Meincke Lyø (2025). The Summerfield, N.C, product accumulated a 23-8 individual mark across 31 appearances on the year. Burnham primarily paired with Maya McNabney, going 8-2 at the No. 2 flight and 9-0 at the No. 3 flight. 
 
Wilson repeated as Coach of the Year after leading the Chanticleers to a second-straight Sun Belt regular-season title with an unblemished 6-0 mark in conference matches. Coastal Carolina earned the No. 1 overall seed in the Sun Belt Beach Volleyball Championship and had four pairs earn All-Sun Belt accolades. The Chanticleers closed out the regular season on a 13-match winning streak, dating back to March 20, to post a 21-10 overall record. 
 
Four teams—Coastal Carolina (4), Georgia State (2), Southern Miss (2) and UNCW (2) had multiple All-Sun Belt pairs. 
 
UNCW senior Gabby LaPata became the first-ever four-time All-Sun Belt honoree, while Coastal Carolina senior Emma Kunaus and Georgia State junior Savannah Ebarb became the first-ever three-time First Team All-Sun Belt recipients. 
 
The Sun Belt Beach Volleyball Championship will take place from April 23-25 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex, with every match being nationally broadcast on ESPN+. For more information, including relevant links and daily recaps, visit Sun Belt Beach Volleyball Championship Central. 
 
Pair of the Year
Gracie Sistrunk / Lyvia Trimp, UNCW (Gr., Wilmington, N.C. / Sr., Charlotte, N.C.)
 
Newcomer of the Year
Iustina Corcoz, Southern Miss (Gr., Bucharest, Romania) 
 
Freshman of the Year
Courtney Burnham, Coastal Carolina (Fr., Summerfield, N.C.) 
 
Coach of the Year
Collin Wilson, Coastal Carolina
 
All-Sun Belt First Team
Emma Kunaus / Frida Meincke Lyø, Coastal Carolina (Sr., Toronto, Ontario, Canada / So., Svendborg, Denmark) 
Ava Novello / Karis Gordon, Coastal Carolina (Jr., Long Valley, N.J. / Sr., Ashburn, Va.) 
Bella Troncale / Savannah Ebarb, Georgia State (Fr., Boca Raton, Fla. / Jr., Plano, Texas) 
Laurel Dennis / Sadie McAda, Southern Miss (Jr., Gulfport Miss. / Jr., Pleasanton, Texas) 
Gracie Sistrunk / Lyvia Trimp, UNCW (Gr., Wilmington, N.C. / Sr., Charlotte, N.C.) 
 
All-Sun Belt Second Team
Anna Rita / Madeline Sigmon, Coastal Carolina (Sr., Riga, Latvia / Jr., Statesville, N.C.) 
Courtney Burnham / Maya McNabney, Coastal Carolina (Fr., Summerfield, N.C. / Jr., Ancaster, Ontario, Canada) 
Michaela Jefferson / Danica Singleton, Georgia State (Jr., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada / So., Gilbert, Ariz.) 
Zuzanna Michalska / Abby Lewis, Southern Miss (Sr., Warsaw, Poland / Fr., The Woodlands, Texas) 
Gabby LaPata / Sarah Thompson, UNCW (Sr., Charlotte, N.C. / Sr., Virginia Beach, Va.)