Big East Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year
 | |
| Awarded for | the top women's basketball freshman in the Big East Conference |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| History | |
| First award | 1983 |
| Most recent | Sarah Strong, UConn |
The Big East Conference Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year, known as the Big East Conference Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year from 1989 to 2003, is an annual college basketball award presented to the top women's basketball freshman in the Big East Conference.
Key
| † | Co-Freshman of the Year |
| * | Awarded a national Freshman of the Year award: USBWA National Freshman of the Year (USBWA) WBCA Freshman of the Year (WBCA) |
Winners
| Season | Player | School | National Freshman of the Year Awards | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Ann Marie McNamee | St. John's | — | [1] |
| 1983–84 | Shelly Pennefather | Villanova | — | |
| 1984–85 | Felisha Legette-Jack | Syracuse | — | |
| 1985–86 | Geraldine Sintilus | Seton Hall | — | |
| 1986–87 | Kris Lamb | UConn | — | |
| 1987–88 | Laura Lishness | UConn | — | |
| 1988–89 | Tracy Lis | Providence | — | |
| 1989–90 | Sarah Behn | Boston College | — | |
| 1990–91 | Jonna Huemrich | Pittsburgh | — | |
| 1991–92 | Rebecca Lobo | UConn | — | |
| 1992–93† | Holly Rilinger | Miami | — | |
| Jennifer Rizzotti | UConn | — | ||
| 1993–94 | Holly Porter | Boston College | — | |
| 1994–95 | Nykesha Sales | UConn | — | |
| 1995–96 | Kimberly Smith | Georgetown | — | |
| 1996–97 | Shea Ralph | UConn | — | |
| 1997–98 | Natasha Pointer | Rutgers | — | |
| 1998–99 | Tamika Williams | UConn | — | |
| 1999–2000 | Alicia Ratay | Notre Dame | — | |
| 2000–01 | Rebekkah Brunson | Georgetown | — | |
| 2001–02 | Jacqueline Batteast | Notre Dame | — | |
| 2002–03 | Cappie Pondexter | Rutgers | — | |
| 2003–04 | Meg Bulger | West Virginia | — | |
| 2004–05 | Matee Ajavon | Rutgers | — | |
| 2005–06 | Renee Montgomery | UConn | — | |
| 2006–07 | Tina Charles* | UConn | USBWA | |
| 2007–08 | Maya Moore* | UConn | UWBWA | |
| 2008–09 | Da'Shena Stevens | St. John's | — | |
| 2009–10 | Sugar Rodgers | Georgetown | — | |
| 2010–11 | Bria Hartley | UConn | — | |
| 2011–12 | Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis | UConn | — | |
| 2012–13 | Jewell Loyd* | Notre Dame | USBWA | |
| 2013–14 | Natalie Butler | Georgetown | — | [2] |
| 2014–15 | Dorothy Adomako | Georgetown | — | [3] |
| 2015–16 | Allazia Blockton | Marquette | — | [4] |
| 2016–17 | Jaylyn Agnew | Creighton | — | [5] |
| 2017–18 | Qadashah Hoppie | St. John's | — | [6] |
| 2018–19 | Mary Baskerville | Providence | — | [7] |
| 2019–20 | Maddy Siegrist | Villanova | — | [8] |
| 2020–21 | Paige Bueckers*[a] | UConn | USBWA WBCA |
[9] |
| 2021–22 | Aneesah Morrow | DePaul | USBWA WBCA |
[10] |
| 2022–23 | Kennedy Fauntleroy | Georgetown | — | [11] |
| 2023–24 | Ashlynn Shade | UConn | — | [12] |
| 2024–25 | Sarah Strong | UConn | WBCA | [13] |
Winners by school
| School (year joined) | Winners | Years |
|---|---|---|
| UConn (1979–2013, 2020–present)[a 1][a 2] | 15 | 1987, 1988, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2021, 2024, 2025 |
| Georgetown (1979–present) | 6 | 1996, 2001, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2023 |
| Notre Dame (1995–2013)[a 3] | 3 | 2000, 2002, 2013 |
| Rutgers (1995–2013)[a 1] | 3 | 1998, 2003, 2005 |
| St. John's (1979–present) | 3 | 1983, 2009, 2018 |
| Boston College (1979–2005)[a 4] | 2 | 1990, 1994 |
| Providence (1979–present) | 2 | 1989, 2019 |
| Villanova (1980–present) | 2 | 1984, 2020 |
| Creighton (2013–present) | 1 | 2017 |
| DePaul (2005–present) | 1 | 2022 |
| Marquette (2005–present) | 1 | 2016 |
| Miami (1991–2004)[a 5] | 1 | 1993 |
| Pittsburgh (1982–2013)[a 3] | 1 | 1991 |
| Seton Hall (1979–present) | 1 | 1986 |
| Syracuse (1979–2013)[a 3] | 1 | 1985 |
| West Virginia (1995–2012)[a 6] | 1 | 2004 |
| Butler (2013–present) | 0 | — |
| Cincinnati (2005–2013)[a 1] | 0 | — |
| Louisville (2005–2013)[a 1] | 0 | — |
| USF (2005–2013)[a 1] | 0 | — |
| Virginia Tech (2000–2004)[a 5] | 0 | — |
| Xavier (2013–present) | 0 | — |
- ^ a b c d e Following the split of the original Big East, Cincinnati, Louisville, Rutgers, South Florida, and UConn all remained in the football-sponsoring portion that became the American Athletic Conference.
- ^ UConn joined the current Big East in 2020.
- ^ a b c Notre Dame, Pitt, and Syracuse all left for the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2012–13 season.
- ^ Boston College left for the ACC in 2005.
- ^ a b Miami and Virginia Tech left for the ACC in 2004.
- ^ West Virginia left for the Big 12 Conference in 2012.
References
- ^ "2021–22 Big East Conference Women's Basketball Media Guide". Big East Conference. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Regular-Season Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 5, 2014. Archived from the original on March 14, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Women's Basketball Regular-Season Awards Announced" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 3, 2015. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Major Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 2, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Major Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 1, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Major Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. February 28, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Regular-Season Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 6, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Big East Announces Women's Basketball Regular-Season Awards" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 4, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Bueckers Sweeps Big East Player, Freshman of the Year Honors" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 4, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Villanova's Siegrist Named BIG EAST Women's Basketball Player of the Year" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 3, 2022. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
- ^ "Maddy Siegrist Named Big East Player of the Year" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
- ^ "Bueckers Voted Big East Player of the Year" (Press release). Big East Conference. March 7, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
- ^ "2025 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Annual Awards Announced". www.bigeast.com. 2025-03-06. Retrieved 2025-05-10.