With the women’s Final Four just two short days away, it’s time to hand out some national hardware.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Tipoff Club presented three major awards to the biggest names in women’s college basketball: the Women’s College Player of the Year, the Women’s College Coach of the Year, and the Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year. In 2025, these awards went to USC guard JuJu Watkins, UCLA coach Cori Close, and Bruins center Lauren Betts, respectively.
Here is a look at who took home the hardware in 2026, along with a brief look at their seasons and careers.
2026 women’s Naismith award winners
| AWARD | WINNER |
|---|---|
| Women’s College Player of the Year | Sarah Strong, forward, UConn |
| Women’s College Coach of the Year | Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt |
| Women’s College Defensive Player of the Year | Hannah Hidalgo, guard, Notre Dame |
Women’s College Player of the Year: Sarah Strong, forward, UConn
Strong’s win marks the 12th time a Husky has lifted the award, joining center and forward Rebecca Lobo (1995), guard Sue Bird (2002), forward and guard Diana Taurasi (2003 to `04), forward Maya Moore (2009 and `11), center Tina Charles (2010), forward Breanna Stewart (2014 to `16), and guard Paige Bueckers (2021).
The Fuquay-Varina, N.C., native led the Big East this season in field-goal percentage, steals per game, points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Additionally, she leads all of Division I in win shares and win shares per 40 minutes, and is the current all-time leader in offensive box plus/minus, defensive box plus/minus and box plus/minus.
The other finalists for the award were Betts, Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes, and UConn guard Azzi Fudd.
Women’s College Coach of the Year: Shea Ralph, Vanderbilt
Ralph is the first Commodores boss to win the award, and the first SEC coach not named Dawn Staley to take home the honor since Mississippi State’s Vic Schaefer in 2018.
A Raleigh native and a decorated former forward and guard for the Huskies, Ralph accepted the Vanderbilt job before the 2022 season after over a decade as a UConn assistant. Before Ralph arrived in Nashville, the Commodores—once a perennial contender—had not made the NCAA tournament since `14. Ralph steered Vanderbilt to a No. 12 seed in year three, a No. 7 seed in year four, and a No. 2 seed and trip to the Sweet 16 in `26.
The other finalists for the award were Huskies coach Geno Auriemma, Close, and Schaefer (now at Texas).
Women’s College Coach of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, guard, Notre Dame
The three-time All-American and Haddonfield, N.J., native is the first Fighting Irish player ever to win the award, which has only been around since 2018. Her win comes five days after an astounding Sweet 16 performance against the Commodores that saw her score 31 points, pull in 11 rebounds, and rack up 10 steals.
Stealing is Hidalgo’s trade; she led the nation in steals per game in both 2024 and `26 and her conference in that category in `25. She’s led the ACC in defensive win shares in all three of her collegiate seasons as well. Hidalgo has five games with double-digit steals to her name this season, including an eye-popping 16 against Akron on Nov. 12.
The other finalists for the award were Betts, West Virginia guard Jordan Harrison and Strong.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Women’s College Basketball Awards Tracker: Three Big Prizes Handed Out Wednesday.
