Troy University Athletics
Dyer Claims Trio of Sun Belt Accolades; Ngnawo, Jenkins Earn All-SBC
3/2/2026 1:00:00 PM | Basketball (W)
TROY, Ala. – Zay Dyer leads the Troy women's basketball program with a trio of Sun Belt awards, earning Defensive Player of the Year, All-Sun Belt First Team and All-Sun Belt Defensive Team. Fortuna Ngnawo followed on the second team and Emani Jenkins on the third team, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
"With a 14-team conference, it's really an honor to have three players on a 15-person all-conference team," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "I want to congratulate Zay, Fortuna and Emani for the postseason honors they earned."
By earning Defensive Player of the Year, Dyer became the first Trojan to earn an individual award since 2020-21 (Felmas Koranga, Alexus Dye, Chanda Rigby). She also became the first Trojan to earn three accolades for the SBC in program history, the first Defensive Player of the Year since 2018-19 (Sky'Lynn Holmes) and earned her second All-SBC First Team award (2024-25). Troy also earned three All-SBC awards for the fourth time, with Ngnawo and Jenkins earning their first SBC regular-season accolade.
Zay Dyer (Defensive Player of the Year, All-SBC First Team, All-SBC Defensive Team)
Dyer earned her trio of awards after leading the nation with 22 double-doubles, including 14 straight to end the season. She averaged 14.4 points and 13.1 rebounds on 42.9 percent shooting. The Atlanta native led the conference with 394 total rebounds (second in the nation), 13.1 rebounds per game (third in the nation), 8.3 defensive rebounds per game (12th in the nation) and 4.9 offensive rebounds per game (second in the nation). In league play, she leads the SBC in double-doubles (15), rebounds (13.9), offensive rebounds (5.1), and defensive rebounds (8.8). She's second in blocks (1.9), fifth in scoring (16.6) and 11th in field goal percentage (43.8).
She totaled 44 blocks for 1.5 per game, ranking third and fourth in the conference, respectively. Her 44 blocks also rank tied for the ninth-most in a Troy D-I season. Dyer had three or more blocks in five games, with double-digit blocks in 13 and a block in 23. The senior forward broke the single-game record for rebounds and tied the SBC record in a league game, set in 2010, with 25 boards against Louisiana. At 6-2, Dyer led Troy in scoring in 11 games, rebounding in 19, blocks in 15 and steals in six.
Fortuna Ngnawo (All-SBC Second Team)
Ngnawo earned All-SBC Second Team after leading the Trojans with 15.1 points, which ranked fifth in the conference. She trailed only Dyer in double-doubles (18) and rebounds (10.7), ending the season with 18 double-doubles in her last 22 games. The Cameroon native ended the year with double-digit scoring performances in all but one game, including 12 straight to start the year and 15 straight to finish the season. Her 75.6 percent shooting at the charity stripe ranked ninth in the conference, while her 43.9 percent from the field sat seventh. She also had 33 blocks for 1.1 per game, ranking seventh and sixth in the league, respectively.
Emani Jenkins (All-SBC Third Team)
Jenkins had one of the greatest shooting seasons in Troy history to earn All-SBC Third Team. She shattered the single-season 3-point record with her 74th against Ball State. The senior guard now has 93 to lead the conference and rank third in the country. She also averages 3.1 per game on 41.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc, leading the conference and sitting third and 24th in the nation, respectively. Against Oakwood, she broke the single-game record at Troy with 10 for 31 points, ending the season with a three in all but one game, multiple 3-pointers in 22 games, 3-plus in 18 and 5-plus in five.
Sun Belt Accolades (Full List)
Player of the Year
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Defensive Player of the Year
Zay Dyer, Troy
Newcomer of the Year
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Freshman of the Year
Kinsea Grimes, Coastal Carolina
Sixth Woman of the Year
Mimi McCollister, Arkansas State
Coach of the Year
Hana Haden, Georgia Southern
All-Sun Belt Conference First Team
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Destiny Garrett, Georgia Southern
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss
Fortuna Ngnawo, Troy
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team
En'Dya Buford, Old Dominion
McKenna Eddings, Georgia Southern
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State
Emani Jenkins, Troy
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina
All-Sun Belt Defensive Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Bree Robinson, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
"With a 14-team conference, it's really an honor to have three players on a 15-person all-conference team," head coach Chanda Rigby said. "I want to congratulate Zay, Fortuna and Emani for the postseason honors they earned."
By earning Defensive Player of the Year, Dyer became the first Trojan to earn an individual award since 2020-21 (Felmas Koranga, Alexus Dye, Chanda Rigby). She also became the first Trojan to earn three accolades for the SBC in program history, the first Defensive Player of the Year since 2018-19 (Sky'Lynn Holmes) and earned her second All-SBC First Team award (2024-25). Troy also earned three All-SBC awards for the fourth time, with Ngnawo and Jenkins earning their first SBC regular-season accolade.
Zay Dyer (Defensive Player of the Year, All-SBC First Team, All-SBC Defensive Team)
Dyer earned her trio of awards after leading the nation with 22 double-doubles, including 14 straight to end the season. She averaged 14.4 points and 13.1 rebounds on 42.9 percent shooting. The Atlanta native led the conference with 394 total rebounds (second in the nation), 13.1 rebounds per game (third in the nation), 8.3 defensive rebounds per game (12th in the nation) and 4.9 offensive rebounds per game (second in the nation). In league play, she leads the SBC in double-doubles (15), rebounds (13.9), offensive rebounds (5.1), and defensive rebounds (8.8). She's second in blocks (1.9), fifth in scoring (16.6) and 11th in field goal percentage (43.8).
She totaled 44 blocks for 1.5 per game, ranking third and fourth in the conference, respectively. Her 44 blocks also rank tied for the ninth-most in a Troy D-I season. Dyer had three or more blocks in five games, with double-digit blocks in 13 and a block in 23. The senior forward broke the single-game record for rebounds and tied the SBC record in a league game, set in 2010, with 25 boards against Louisiana. At 6-2, Dyer led Troy in scoring in 11 games, rebounding in 19, blocks in 15 and steals in six.
Fortuna Ngnawo (All-SBC Second Team)
Ngnawo earned All-SBC Second Team after leading the Trojans with 15.1 points, which ranked fifth in the conference. She trailed only Dyer in double-doubles (18) and rebounds (10.7), ending the season with 18 double-doubles in her last 22 games. The Cameroon native ended the year with double-digit scoring performances in all but one game, including 12 straight to start the year and 15 straight to finish the season. Her 75.6 percent shooting at the charity stripe ranked ninth in the conference, while her 43.9 percent from the field sat seventh. She also had 33 blocks for 1.1 per game, ranking seventh and sixth in the league, respectively.
Emani Jenkins (All-SBC Third Team)
Jenkins had one of the greatest shooting seasons in Troy history to earn All-SBC Third Team. She shattered the single-season 3-point record with her 74th against Ball State. The senior guard now has 93 to lead the conference and rank third in the country. She also averages 3.1 per game on 41.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc, leading the conference and sitting third and 24th in the nation, respectively. Against Oakwood, she broke the single-game record at Troy with 10 for 31 points, ending the season with a three in all but one game, multiple 3-pointers in 22 games, 3-plus in 18 and 5-plus in five.
Sun Belt Accolades (Full List)
Player of the Year
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Defensive Player of the Year
Zay Dyer, Troy
Newcomer of the Year
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Freshman of the Year
Kinsea Grimes, Coastal Carolina
Sixth Woman of the Year
Mimi McCollister, Arkansas State
Coach of the Year
Hana Haden, Georgia Southern
All-Sun Belt Conference First Team
Kishyah Anderson, Georgia Southern
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Destiny Garrett, Georgia Southern
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss
Fortuna Ngnawo, Troy
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State
All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team
En'Dya Buford, Old Dominion
McKenna Eddings, Georgia Southern
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State
Emani Jenkins, Troy
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina
All-Sun Belt Defensive Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison
Zay Dyer, Troy
Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, Marshall
Bree Robinson, James Madison
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State
Players Mentioned
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Chanda Rigby Postgame Press Conference - Arkansas State
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