BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference announced Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards ahead of Media Day, as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Indiya Bowen was voted as the SWAC Preseason Player of the Year while Southern’s Jocelyn Tate snags the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year award.
SWAC Preseason Player of the Year: Indiya Bowen, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Senior Guard from Horn Lake, Mississippi led the league averaging 14.9 points per game while shooting 35 percent from the field, 31 percent from beyond the arc and 74 percent from the charity stripe. Bowen has displayed being a two-way player where she was third on the team with 59 steals, averaging 1.9 a game. Through 31 games played, Bowen had 25 games in double figures and seven 20+ point games. As Arkansas-Pine Bluff gains Indiya Bowen back on the court, she adds a Preseason Honor as the Player of the Year.
SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jocelyn Tate, Southern
The Junior Guard from North Little Rock, Arkansas returns to the Lady Jaguars after Southern was ranked No. 2 in the SWAC on the defensive side, only giving up 60.2 points a game. Tate led Southern and the SWAC with 66 steals, averaging 1.9 a game. Jocelyn Tate finished the 2025-26 season with 10 games having three or more steals, disrupting the passing lanes for opposing offenses. As Tate returns for her junior season, she adds a Preseason honor being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
A full listing of the preseason selections can be found below.
SWAC Preseason Player of the Year
Indiya Bowen, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jocelyn Tate, Southern
All-SWAC First Team
Demya Porter, Southern
Indiya Bowen, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Tahnyjia Purifoy, Florida A&M
Jailah Pelly, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Shaniyah McCarthy, Florida A&M
All-SWAC Second Team
Aniya Palmer, Alabama A&M
Khaniah Gardner, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Jocelyn Tate, Southern
Charlese McClendon, Alabama State
Caylee Simpson, Alabama State
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.