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Hopewell, N.J. (March 11, 2026) — We are proud to announce the five finalists for the 2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. The Becky Hammon Award was first given out in 2020, and Harvard’s Harmoni Turner won the most recent award in 2025.

Below are the five finalists, listed in alphabetical order by school.

Graphic created by Morgan Reeder

This year’s five finalists include representatives from four conferences. The Summit League has two finalists this season, joining the Atlantic 10 (2025), WCC (2023) and Summit League (2021) as the only conferences to have two finalists in the same season.

Avery Koenen (North Dakota State), Maggie Doogan (Richmond) and Mia Nicastro (Western Illinois) are the first finalists for their respective schools. Adrianna Smith joins Blanca Millan (2021) as the second Maine player named a finalist, and Brooklyn Meyer joins Myah Selland (2021 and 2023) as the second South Dakota State player named a finalist.

Both Maine and South Dakota State join Drake, South Dakota and Princeton as the only programs with multiple different players named a finalist at least once. South Dakota State also moves into a tie for the most total finalist selections with three, tying Drake (Sara Rhine, 2020; Katie Dinnebier, 2024 and 2025).

Adrianna Smith, Maine, R-Sr., F
22.8 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.8 SPG

Smith does it all for the Black Bears, with a usage rate that leads all players averaging at least 25 minutes per game. The lone player this season averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, she is on pace to become just the fourth player since 2009-10 to reach both those numbers plus four assists per game (min. 20 games).

Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Jr., F
19.5 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.4 SPG

Koenen has gone from a strong player in the Summit League to being one of the nation’s most efficient scorers this season. Her 1.35 points per scoring attempt rank third nationally this season, and is on pace for the second-highest by a Summit League player since at least 2009-10 (min. 300 FGA).

Maggie Doogan, Richmond, Sr., F
21.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 3.9 APG, 1.1 BPG

Doogan is the sole Division I player currently shooting 55% from inside the arc, 40% from 3-point range, and 85% from the stripe on at least 200 attempts from both inside and outside the arc, and 100 attempts from the line. She would become just the second player to post that line since at least 2009-10, joining Kelsey Plum.

Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota St., Sr., F
22.4 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.9 BPG

Meyer has been one of the nation’s most prolific interior scorers in the nation this year, shooting 65.2% from inside the arc on 13.2 attempts per game; only Audi Crooks matched that volume and efficiency this season. Since 2009-10, only three other players had shot at least 65% from 2-point range on at least 13 attempts per game before this season (min. 20 games played): Mackenzie Holmes (2022-23), Monika Czinano (2021-22), and Megan Gustafson (2018-19 and 2017-18).

Mia Nicastro, Western Ill., Sr., F
24.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 1.4 SPG

Nicastro is the nation’s only player this season averaging at least 24 points on 50% from the field, 35% from 3-point range and 85% from the stripe. Since 2009-10, only three other players have accomplished this feat (min. 20 games): Elena Delle Donne (Delaware, 2011-12), Kelsey Plum (Washington, 2016-17), and Maddy Siegrist (Villanova, 2022-23).

To be eligible for this award, players must compete in one of the 26 conferences deemed to be “mid-major.” The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Additionally, players from Oregon State and Washington State remain ineligible this year.

The 25-player preseason watch list was announced in October, and 10 semifinalists were announced in February. The winner will be announced on April 1. The list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.

Hammon was a three-time All-American at Colorado State and led the Rams to the Sweet 16 in 1999, the program’s only appearance to date. She was signed by the New York Liberty in 1999 and traded to the San Antonio Stars in 2007, where she played the rest of her career. Hammon retired in 2014 as a six-time All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree. In 2016, she was named one of the top 20 players in WNBA history and was named to the W25 in 2021.

Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she began coaching for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Additionally, Hammon is the only woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer League and the only woman to be a member of an NBA All-Star coaching staff. Currently, Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and has won the 2022, 2023 and 2025 WNBA Championships.

Her Hoop Stats was founded in 2017 to unlock better insight about women’s basketball at all levels. We began as a statistics site focused on providing consistent, reliable, and easy-to-access data about women’s basketball for both mobile and desktop environments. Her Hoop Stats has expanded to become a leading independent voice in the women’s game providing content through our newsletter, podcast network, YouTube channel, and social media accounts (Bluesky, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).