College Life

The SUNYAC announces its 2026 women's basketball All-Conference teams and individual awards including Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year.

These awards are nominated and voted on by the 10 conference coaches. 

 Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year - Brianna Fitzgerald, New PaltzFitzgerald was voted both the 2026 Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the year. She ranked second in the league with 306 points (17 points per game) in conference play. She was No. 1 in steals with 67, third in total rebounds with 150, fourth in assists (78) and she also added 25 blocks (5th). Fitzgerald leads the SUNYAC overall with 473 points and 91 steals and she is second with 232 total rebounds, 162 of them being on the defensive end. She had a season high 35 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists, 11 steals and 5 blocks over the course of her senior campaign. Fitzgerald helped her team capture the top seed going into post season play. The Hawks tied the Cortland Red Dragons, 17-1, but were declared the No. 1 seed with a higher NPI as the tie breaker. New Paltz went on to win the league championship title earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. Fitzgerald and her team will face Immaculata at John Caroll University, Friday, March 6 at 5:30 p.m.

Rookie of the Year - Kayla Beaudoin, Oneonta
In her first season, Beaudoin started 16 of 17 conference games for the Red Dragons. In conference competition she totaled 124 points, 40 rebounds and 14 steals. Beaudoin had a season high of 17 points, six assists and four steals for Oneonta. Overall she totaled 180 points, 64 rebounds, 42 assists and 20 steals in 25 games. Beaudoin helped her team clinch a spot in the SUNYAC tournament going 9-9 to take the No. 6 seed. The Red Dragons ended their season with a 15-12 overall record.

Coaching Staff of the Year - CortlandCortland's head coach Colleen Ames is assisted by Madison Shea, Diana Ter Bush and Jeremy Zanella. The staff coached their team to a 17-1 regular season conference record to tie with New Paltz for first place in the league. Cortland was seeded No. 2 going into post season play with the tiebreaker being which team had the higher NPI. The Red Dragons advanced to the SUNYAC final, and although they fell short to New Paltz, 56-52, they earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Division III tournament. The team will play Messiah University on Friday, March 6 at New York University. Cortland is currently 23-4 overall entering NCAA play.

2026 SUNYAC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams (PDF)