A total of eight student-athletes also received the Elite Scholar Athlete award, presented by Conway Regional Health System, in Harding’s Avery Stanfill, Henderson State’s Savannah Coats, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Ashley Low, Oklahoma Baptist’s Avery Hellmuth, Ouachita Baptist’s Emily Adams, Southern Arkansas’ Isla Olivas, Southern Nazarene’s Ashley Finch and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Cameron Turner. All eight have maintained perfect 4.00 grade-point averages.
Mott became the first Bulldog lauded as Player of the Year. She ended the regular season as the league leader in kills, 4.12, and points per set, 4.67. She increased her production in league play to 4.69 kills and 5.23 points per set. She hit .346 in conference play, the third-best average. Kuzma, who joined current SWOSU assistant coach Kait Bagwell (Dillon) as the only Bulldogs named Defensive Player of the Year, led the conference in blocks per set in league play. In Mott and Kuzma, the Bulldogs became the first team to have different players honored as Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Harding’s Zoe Hardin won both in 2016. Collins collected his third Coach of the Year award after spearheading the Bulldogs to their first GAC regular-season title.
Forson, the Savage Storm’s first-ever GAC Setter of the Year, averaged 8.83 assists per set while adding 3.18 points per set. She hit .312 and added 2.69 digs per set. She led the league with nine triple-doubles and registered the first quadruple-double in league history. Steffes ranked inside the top five in kills and points per set. In GAC play, her 4.37 points per set ranked second in the conference. She equalled the feat set by former Reddies Violeta Mendoza Quintana, in Spring 2021, and Sharon Tukuaoga, in 2016. Wright, the Crimson Storm’s second Freshman of the Year, finished her inaugural season ranked inside the top 10 in attack percentage, points and kills per set in league play – an accomplishment matched only by Mott.
Mott, Forson and Kuzma added First-Team All-GAC honors. Forson’s teammate, D’Nari Mills – the 2023 Player of the Year – made the team as did Ouachita Baptist’s Courtney Hanson, the 2023 Setter of the Year. Mills finished the regular season second to Mott and kills and points per set. Hanson averaged 10.21 assists per set to rank fifth in the GAC.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Jill Leslie repeated as a First-Team selection. She ranked sixth in points per set and attack percentage. East Central’s Odalys Gonzalez and Harding’s Skyler McKinnon filled out the All-GAC First Team. Gonzalez finished the regular season ranked third in points and fourth in kills per set as the Tigers set the program’s single-season record for wins, 17. McKinnon placed sixth in kills and eighth in points per set.
Steffes headlined the All-GAC Second Team. Three from Harding – Tatum Fouche, Ashley Lamkin and Olivia Wiedower – made the team alongside East Central’s Emma Strickland, Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Erika Asencio-Soriano, Oklahoma Baptist’s Emily Boyer and Ouachita Baptist’s Emily Adams.
The Honorable Mention Team consisted Southern Nazarene’s Wright and her teammate, Whitney Bowie, plus Harding’s Delaney Garner and Jacey Lambert, Southern Arkansas’ Kayte Delong and Sadie Kabisch, Arkansas Tech’s Savannah Meyer, East Central’s Julia Kabala, Henderson State’s Kaylon Partain, Ouachita Baptist’s Leah Gardner, Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Patience Lewis and Southwestern Oklahoma State’s Zoey Sparks.
The GAC Academic Honor Roll featured a total of 78 student-athletes to have achieved a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50, or higher, combined with at least one year of one-year of full-time college residency.
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