BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced its 2025-26 Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish and Preseason All-SWAC teams and Individual Award winners during the league’s media day event on Tuesday morning. The all-conference honors and preseason poll were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Southern was tabbed as the favorite heading into the season. The Lady Jaguars were followed by Alabama A&M (2
nd), Jackson State (3
rd), Texas Southern (4
th) and Grambling State (5
th) to round out the top five preseason poll selections.
Alcorn State (6
th), Bethune-Cookman (7
th), Florida A&M (8
th), Alabama State (9
th), Prairie View A&M (10
th), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11
th), and Mississippi Valley State (12
th) were tabbed to finish 6-12 respectively.
SU led all preseason poll selections garnering 14 first place votes, followed by Alabama A&M (5), Grambling State (2), Jackson State (1) and Texas Southern (1).
Alabama A&M's Kalia Walker was named Preseason Player of the Year, while Bethune-Cookman’s Daimoni Dorsey claimed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Walker played in 28 games last season, averaging 14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. She had 21 double-digit scoring performances, highlighted by a career-high 30 points at North Alabama. In addition, she shot 81.4 percent from the free-throw line and nearly 38 percent from the floor.
Dorsey played in 31 games while starting 30 of those contests. She shot 36.6 percent from the field with 221 points for the season and also tallied 115 rebounds (3.7 per game), including 99 off the defensive glass while contributing 61 assists to lead the Wildcats in that category. Dorsey finished the year with a team-high 55 steals to go along with 7.1 points per game.
The complete list of the preseason poll rankings and all-conference selections and individual awards winners is listed below.
2025-26 SWAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish
- Southern- 265 (14)
- Alabama A&M- 224 (5)
- Jackson State- 213 (1)
- Texas Southern- 202 (1)
- Grambling State- 186 (2)
- Alcorn State- 164
- Bethune-Cookman- 119
- Florida A&M- 111
- Alabama State- 98
- Prairie View A&M- 93
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff- 63
- Mississippi Valley State- 56
*First place votes listed in parenthesis
2025-26 SWAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
Player of the Year
Kalia Walker, Alabama A&M
Defensive Player of the Year
Daimoni Dorsey, Bethune-Cookman
All-SWAC First Team
Kalia Walker, Alabama A&M
Leianya Massenat, Jackson State
Nakia Cheatham, Alcorn State
Daimoni Dorsey, Bethune-Cookman
Kiarra Henderson, Alcorn State
All-SWAC Second Team
Kaitlyn Bryant, Alabama State
Jaileyah Cotton, Jackson State
Douthshine Prien, Grambling State
Janessa Kelley, Bethune-Cookman
Jaida Belton, Alabama A&M
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at
www.swac.org.