NEW YORK – UConn women's basketball redshirt senior guard Paige Bueckers was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year for the third time in her career to headline the Huskies' BIG EAST annual awards Thursday.
Forward Sarah Strong was named the conference's Freshman of the Year while sophomore guard Ashlynn Shade was selected as Sixth Woman of the Year. Bueckers and Strong were unanimously named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and are joined by graduate student guard Azzi Fudd on the First Team.
Head coach Geno Auriemma was named the conference's Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Marquette's Cara Consuegra.
Bueckers led UConn to an undefeated BIG EAST slate and the regular season championship in 2024-25. She averaged 18.1 points per game on an impressive .556/.421/.959 shooting split in conference play. Bueckers led the league with 5.1 assists per game and a 4.32 assist-turnover ratio in BIG EAST games.
Bueckers is the fourth player in league history to earn Player of the Year three times. She joins Maya Moore (UConn, 2008, '09, '11), Kerry Bascom (UConn, 1989, '90, '91) and Shelly Pennefather (Villanova, 1985, '86, '87). This is the 20th time a Husky has earned BIG EAST Player of the Year.
Strong has had an impressive rookie season and was one of the top players in conference action. She averaged 15.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while leading the BIG EAST with a 59.9 field goal percentage in league play. Strong ranked third in steals per game (2.3) and second in blocks per game (1.6).
Strong was also unanimously selected to the All-Freshman Team. She is the 15th Husky to earn BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
Auriemma was named conference Coach of the Year for the 19th time in his career and 13th time in the BIG EAST. Under Auriemma, the Huskies finished the regular season undefeated in conference play for the 19th time in program history. UConn won every BIG EAST game by double digits this season, outscoring league opponents by an average margin of +34.1 points per game.
After earning Freshman of the Year honors last season, Shade stepped into a new role off the bench this year and has been a consistent scorer for the Huskies. She averaged 8.2 points per game in conference play while shooting 46.2 percent from three-point range.
Fudd averaged 13.6 points per game in league play while leading the BIG EAST with a 46.7 three-point field goal percentage. She also ranked fourth in league play with a 48.6 overall field goal percentage. Fudd set a career high with 34 points vs. St. John's on Feb. 12.
The Huskies (28-3, 18-0 BIG EAST) are the No. 1 seed in this weekend's BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. UConn will face either No. 8-seed St. John's (15-14, 5-13) or No. 9-seed Butler (15-16, 5-13) in the quarterfinals on Saturday at noon on FS1.
BIG EAST Player of the Year: Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year: Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year: Lashae Dwyer, St. John's, Sr., G
BIG EAST Most Improved Player: Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
BIG EAST Co-Sportsmanship Award: Molly Mogensen, Creighton, Gr., G / Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year: Ashlynn Shade, UConn, So., G
BIG EAST Co-Coaches of the Year: Geno Auriemma, UConn / Cara Consuegra, Marquette
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
First Team*
Paige Bueckers, UConn, R-Sr., G^
Azzi Fudd, UConn, Gr., G
Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F^
Lauren Jensen, Creighton, Sr., G^
Morgan Maly, Creighton, Sr., G/F^
Jorie Allen, DePaul, Gr., F
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Gr., G
Skylar Forbes, Marquette, So., F
Jada Eads, Seton Hall, Fr., G
Faith Masonius, Seton Hall, Gr., F
Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova, Fr., G
Second Team
Kilyn McGuff, Butler, Sr., G
Lee Volker, Marquette, Sr., G
Grace Efosa, Providence, Gr., G
Lashae Dwyer, St. John's, Sr., G
Maddie Webber, Villanova, So., G
Honor Roll
Molly Mogensen, Creighton, Gr., G
Taylor Johnson-Matthews, DePaul, Jr., G
Ariel Jenkins, Georgetown, Sr., C
Olivia Olsen, Providence, Sr., F
All-Freshman Team
Sarah Strong, UConn, Fr., F^
Khadee Hession, Georgetown, Fr., G
Jada Eads, Seton Hall, Fr., G^
Jasmine Bascoe, Villanova, Fr., G^
Meri Kanerva, Xavier, Fr., G
* Due to a tie in voting, there are 11 players on the first team.
^ unanimous selection
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