Blakes Up For Shooting Guard of the Year – Vanderbilt University Athletics

The sophomore was selected to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award midseason top 10 list as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Starting 5
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Vanderbilt women’s basketball’s sophomore standout Mikayla Blakes was named to the 2026 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award midseason top 10 list, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.
It is the second-straight season that Blakes has been included on the midseason top 10 list for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award, which goes to the nation’s top shooting guard as part of the Naismith Starting 5. The sophomore is one of three SEC players up for the honor.
Blakes, the reigning USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year, is off to another remarkable campaign in her second season with the Commodores. The Somerset, New Jersey, native leads the SEC in scoring and ranks third nationally at 25.1 points per game. Her 577 total points are the most scored by any NCAA Division I player this season. The guard is shooting 45.1 percent from the floor this season, while her 3.09 steals per game average ranks 17th in the nation.
The sophomore has scored 30 or more points in six games this season, while she has eclipsed the 20-point plateau in 18 games. Blakes is riding a 42-game double-digit scoring streak, which is the longest active streak in the SEC and third-longest in NCAA Division I.
Blakes is one of two players in the nation to rank inside the top 15 in both scoring (3rd; 25.1 ppg) and steals per game (17th; 3.09).
She has been named the SEC Player of the Week three times this season, while she has also earned National Player of the Week honors from the Associated Press (Jan. 6) and the Naismith Trophy (Jan. 5). Recently, Blakes was also selected to the 2025-26 Wooden Award Midseason National Player of the Year Watch List and the Naismith National Defensive Player of the Year Award.
Fan voting will begin on Friday, February 6, at www.hoophallawards.com. The leading vote-getter will receive one additional vote from the selection committee.
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