FORT SMITH, Ark. – Landry Allen was named the 2025-26 Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, while Sincere Jackson received an All-GAC Honorable Mention recognition, announced Wednesday night at the GAC Awards Banquet.

Also recognized were the GAC Academic Honor Roll selections, awarded to student-athletes who maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA and have completed at least one year of full-time college residency. Allen earned Academic Honor Roll distinction as well, joined by Rees Berkey and Aryahna Whetstone.

Allen (Tuttle, Okla.) came to the Lady Dawgs from Oklahoma, where she spent her first two years and appeared in 46 total games, including action in three NCAA Tournament games. After arriving at SWOSU she broke multiple program and conference wide records with the most blocks in a single game (13) against Northwestern, as well as totaling 119 blocks on the year, setting a new mark for the more blocks in a single season in GAC history, breaking the previous record of 115 in eight less games.

She is the first player in GAC history to win both the Defensive and Newcomer of the Year in the same year and it represents the 16th and 17th superlative awards won by SWOSU Women's Basketball. She took home 10 Defensive Player of the Week awards out of the 15 possible weeks.

Allen finishes the season averaging 15.4 points per game (8th in the GAC), 6.8 rebounds per game (7th), and 2.2 steals per game (3rd). Nationally, she ranks second in Division II with 4.8 blocks per game - more than double any other player in the conference. She was also named a Second Team All-GAC selection.

Jackson (San Antonio, Texas) was right behind Allen as the team's leading scorer, averaging 12.6 points per game, exactly a 10-point increase from her freshman campaign last season. She shot 46% from the field, the highest mark on the Lady Dawg squad among players averaging at least five points per game. She also pulls down 6.5 rebounds per contest.

One of her best performances of the season came against No. 7 Lubbock Christian, when she scored a season high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds while shooting 10-of-17 from the field.

ALL-GAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
* - Unanimous Selection

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
* NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #21 Kira Bass, C,Sr.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #25 Landry Allen, F, Jr.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #15 Tori Kilburn, F

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #25 Landry Allen, F, Jr.

COACH OF THE YEAR
HARDING - Tim Kirby

ELITE SCHOLAR ATHLETES
Opal Hardy Pierce UAM
Makenzy Herman ECU
Katelyn Kabrich Harding
Summya Adigun NWOSU
Aubrey Marjason Oklahoma Baptist
Madeleine Tipton Ouachita Baptist 
Marlee Bright SAU

FIRST TEAM
* NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #21 Kira Bass, C,Sr.
HENDERSON STATE #3 Natalie Cardenas , G, Jr.
OKLAHOMA BAPTIST #33 Jaedyn Getman, F, Sr.
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #15 Tori Kilburn, F, Fr.
HARDING #21 Josie Williams, G, Jr.
ARKANSAS TECH #12 Logan Young, F, Fr.

SECOND TEAM
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #25 Landry Allen, F, Jr.
EAST CENTRAL #15 Katie Edelen, F, Jr.
HARDING #11 Kori Sanders, G, Fr.
OUACHITA BAPTIST #23 Madeleine Tipton, G, Sr.
SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #11 Kenzli Warden, G, Jr.

HONORABLE MENTION
SOUTHERN ARKANSAS #22 Marlee Bright, G, Sr.
EAST CENTRAL #12 Rylie Burnett, G, Fr.
SOUTHERN NAZARENE #15 Jillian Crawford, G, Jr.
ARKANSAS TECH #33 AbbiGrace Cunningham, F, So.
HENDERSON STATE #20 Grayson Fairless, F, Sr.
HARDING #10 Maddi Holt, G, Jr.
HENDERSON STATE #11 Brynlee Huggins, G, Sr.
SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE #1 Sincere Jackson, F, So.
ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO #15 Alindsey Long, G, Sr.
OUACHITA BAPTIST #30 Heidi Robinson, G, Sr.