WALESKA, Ga. – The AAC has announced its honors for women's basketball for the 2025-26 season, with several players from the University of Pikeville being recognized.
 
Included among them were Jaidy Mejia-Andrade, who was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and Anika Stehbens, the Freshman of the Year.
 
Two Bears were named first-team all-conference, another second team and two were on the all-defensive unit.
 
Also, Mejia-Andrade represented the Bears on the Champions of Character Team and 14 were named to the All-Academic Team.
 
Mejia-Andrade is a 6-1 senior from Barranquilla, Colombia, who took the Defensive Player of the Year honor after winning the weekly award the last two weeks. She averaged 6.1 rebounds per game while leading the league with 57 blocked shots and gathering 30 steals.
 
Those honored on the Champions of Character Team were nominated by their coaches based on their leadership on and off campus, as well as their demonstration of the five core character values of the NAIA.
 
Stehbens is a 5-8 freshman from Melbourne, Australia, who was named first-team all-conference in addition to freshman of the year. She led the Bears at 16.3 points per game while pulling down 4.4 rebounds per game. She also paced the Bears with 41 steals.
 
She was joined on the first-team by Jaaliyah Warren, a 5-9 sophomore from Belfry. Warren averaged 12.1 points per game and her 74 made three-point baskets led the league by 16 this season. Her three-point percentage was 41.1 percent, which was second in the conference.
 
Rachel Bush, a 6-0 junior from Greenup, was named all-conference for the second consecutive season. She averaged 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. She led the league in shooting, hitting 56.8 percent from the field, while being second in free throw shooting, connecting on 87.5 percent from the line.
 
Stehbens was joined on the All-Freshman Team by Sophie Adkins. A 5-10 freshman from Louisa, Adkins averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. She connected on 47.9 percent of her shots from the floor and hit 78.0 percent from the free throw line.
 
To be nominated for the academic all-conference team, by an institution, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and be in their third term or fourth quarter.
 
The 14 Bears qualifying for the team were Madison D. Adkins, Sophie Adkins, Bush, Halle Collins, Samara L. Durbin, Virginia M. Hall, Carly D. Lafferty, Hazley Matthews, Kyra McAlarnis, Taylor McKenzie, Mejia-Andrade, Celina Mullins, Allie Stone and Warren.