Mikayla Blakes, the Vanderbilt women’s basketball star, was named the recipient of the Ann Meyers Drysdale award for the country’s best shooting guard on April 4.
She is the first player in program history to win the award, which has been given out since 2018.
Blakes was the nation’s leading scorer in 2025-26 with 27 points per game while also averaging 4.5 assists and 2.9 steals. She had 13 games with 30 or more points and helped lead the Commodores to their first Sweet 16 since 2009 while setting the program’s single-season scoring record.
Blakes participated at the Team USA Basketball training camp in Phoenix, site of the Women’s NCAA Tournament Final Four.
Blakes has racked up other accolades this season, including being named a unanimous first-team All-American and the SEC Player of the Year. She was a finalist for several national player of the year awards, including the Wooden Award and the Naismith Award, though the latter award went to UConn’s Sarah Strong.
Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on X @aria_gerson.
