Sunny Huerta of Central Washington was selected as the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year.
Sunny Huerta of Central Washington was selected as the GNAC Preseason Player of the Year.

Sunny Huerta named GNAC WBB preseason Player of the Year

10/24/2024 6:37:39 AM

By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Great Northwest Athletic Conference active career scoring leader, Sunny Huerta of Central Washington, was named the 2024-25 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year on Thursday.
 
The coaches voted the senior from Whitter, Calif., who owns a career scoring average of 14.71 points per game and has accumulated 1,368 points in her three seasons as a Wildcat, as the league’s top player ahead of the fast-approaching 2024-25 campaign. A unanimous first-team all-GNAC selection in 2023-24, Huerta helped the Wildcats go 19-12 overall, 10-8 in the GNAC standings to tie for fourth place and reach the 2024 GNAC Championships semifinals.
 
2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
Preseason Player of the Year: Sunny Huerta, Central Washington University
Name School Position Height Year Hometown Previous School
Tori Hollingshead Alaska Anchorage Forward/Center 6-3 Senior Orem, Utah Umpqua CC
Sunny Huerta Central Washington Guard 5-4 Senior Whittier, Calif. Saint Paul
Asher Cai Central Washington Guard 5-9 Junior Colfax, Wash. Colfax
Capri Sims Central Washington Forward 6-0 Sophomore Post Falls, Idaho Post Falls
Dyauni Boyce Montana State Billings Forward 5-11 Senior Winifred, Mont. Winifred
Aspen Giese Montana State Billings Guard 5-8 Senior Fort Benton, Mont. Fort Benton
Kortney Nelson Montana State Billings Guard 5-8 Senior Scobey, Mont. Scobey
Kendall Clark Northwest Nazarene Guard/Forward 5-10 Sophomore Melba, Idaho Melba
Madeline Gebers Northwest Nazarene Guard/Forward 6-0 Senior Kennewick, Wash. Spokane Falls CC
Sarah Lamet Saint Martin's Forward 6-4 Junior Tigard, Ore. Tigard
Hunter Beirne Seattle Pacific Guard 5-7 Senior Mukilteo, Wash. Kamiak
Schuyler Berry Seattle Pacific Center 6-3 Senior Portland, Ore. Grant
Sophia Wisotzki Simon Fraser Guard 5-10 Senior Langley, B.C. Walnut Grove Secondary
Mason Oberg Western Washington Guard 5-5 Junior Vancouver, Wash. Union
Olivia Wikstrom Western Washington Guard 6-1 Senior Bainbridge Island, Wash. Bainbridge

 

7823Tori Hollingshead – University of Alaska Anchorage
Senior – Forward/Center – 6-3 – Orem, Utah – Umpqua Community College
 
A finalist for last year’s GNAC Newcomer of the Year award, Hollingshead earned second-team all-conference recognition after making an immediate impact in her first season on the Seawolves’ roster. The 6-foot-3 forward/center from Orem, Utah, helped UAA go 19-9 overall and finish third in the GNAC standings with a league record of 13-5. Hollingshead ranked second in the GNAC with 1.9 blocks per game, fifth in field-goal percentage at 53.8, seventh in steals with 1.6 per game, 10th in rebounding with 6.6 boards per game and 11th in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Hollingshead’s season was highlighted by a season-high 22 points on March 2, 2024 against GNAC champion Montana State Billings and a season-high 12 rebounds on Jan. 18, 2024 at Central Washington. She completed three double-doubles on the season, and had a season-high five blocks on Jan. 6, 2024 against Simon Fraser.
 
UAA Head Coach Ryan McCarthy on Hollingshead: "After how last year ended, I think Tori's summer was filled with a lot of motivation. She is bigger, faster and stronger than last year, but what I'm most proud of are the changes she made in her skillset. We have held her to a very high standard this preseason and I'm excited to see how she impacts our team this season."
 
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7816Asher Cai – Central Washington University
Junior – Guard – 5-9 – Colfax, Wash. – Colfax High School
 
Cai led the GNAC and ranked 14th nationally in scoring last season, averaging 19.5 points per game. In just two seasons with the Wildcats Cai has already reached 1,025 career points, after leading the GNAC with 605 points scored last winter. Cai also ranked third in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game, third in free-throw percentage at 85.8, and second in 3-pointers per game at 2.6. Cai scored in double figures in all but three games last season, reached 20 points in 17 of 31 games played and scored a season-best 30 points on Jan. 27, 2024 at Northwest Nazarene. Cai also completed 10 double-doubles – second-most among GNAC players – and had the league’s only 20/20 performance last year with 24 points and 21 boards against Stanislaus State on Nov. 11, 2023. Cai owns a career scoring average of 16.8 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game, and is a career 81.9 % free-throw shooter.
 
CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson on Cai: "I am very happy for Asher as she is an extremely hard worker who has shown a ton of investment in her continued growth and development as an athlete, player and leader. Last year, Asher took on a much greater scoring and rebounding role for our team as just a sophomore. I'm excited to see how her game continues to expand this season as she has undoubtedly put in the work it takes to do so."
 
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7827Sunny Huerta – Central Washington University
Senior – Guard – 5-4 – Whittier, Calif. – Saint Paul High School
 
Huerta ranked second in the GNAC in scoring last season behind her teammate Cai, averaging 17.9 points per game. She also ranked sixth in the conference in 3-point field-goal percentage at 37.8, seventh with 3.5 assists per game, ninth in free-throw percentage at 82.9 and 12th in steals with 1.5 per game. Possessing the ability to score at will, Huerta reached double figures in all but four games last year and topped 20 points on nine occasions. Her 37 points on Nov. 24, 2023 against Hawaii Pacific were the most by any GNAC player in a game last season, and she holds the GNAC single-game scoring record of 46 points set on Dec. 19, 2022 during her sophomore season. Huerta begins her final collegiate season 22nd in GNAC history in scoring average (14.71 ppg) and 28th in league history in total points (1,368). A two-time first-team all-league pick, Huerta garnered honorable mention All-America recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association last season, after ranking 32nd in Division II in scoring.
 
CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson on Huerta: "I am very happy for Sunny as she has worked extremely hard to get to this point in her senior year. She is an outstanding talent who can impact the game on both ends for us. Her competitive spirit and growth mindset has been the driver of her growth and development over the past three years and I am excited for the opportunity she and her teammates have and the platform she has to lead them."
 
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7818Capri Sims – Central Washington University
Sophomore – Forward – 6-0 – Post Falls, Idaho – Post Falls High School
 
One of the top freshmen in the league last year, Sims ranked fourth in the conference with 8.2 rebounds per game while averaging 9.5 points per game in her collegiate debut. The Post Falls, Idaho, native was also among the GNAC’s most efficient scorers, ranking second in the conference with a field-goal percentage of 56.8. Sims collected her first collegiate double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds on Nov. 10, 2023 against Cal State East Bay, and went on to complete seven more double-doubles the rest of the season. Her memorable 17-point, nine-rebound effort on March 7, 2024 helped the Wildcats defeat Simon Fraser in the opening round of the 2024 GNAC Championships.
 
CWU Head Coach Randi Richardson on Sims: “I am also very happy for Capri. She, like Sunny and Asher, is another player who backs herself with her work ethic in the gym and weight room. Capri had a great freshman year, a great offseason and has shown she is serious about wanting to do what it takes to continue to develop as an athlete and player. I'm excited to see Capri take more steps toward her potential this year as a sophomore."
 
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7821Dyauni Boyce – Montana State University Billings
Senior – Forward – 5-11 – Winifred, Mont. – Winifred High School
 
Helping the Yellowjackets claim their second GNAC regular-season title and first since the 2013-14 campaign, Boyce played an integral role as a starter in all 35 of MSUB’s games last season. The 5-foot-11 forward ranked second on the team and ninth in the conference with 14.7 points per game, and was 12th in the GNAC with 5.6 rebounds per game on her way to second-team all-GNAC recognition. Boyce also ranked fourth in the conference in free-throw percentage at 85.8 and fifth in 3-point field-goal percentage at 38.2. Boyce was at her best during MSUB’s postseason run, notching a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Yellowjackets’ first-round NCAA win over Azusa Pacific. She followed by scoring 27 points in the team’s narrow loss to Cal State San Marcos in the second round, finishing two points off her season high of 29. Beginning her fifth and final collegiate season, Boyce has racked up 1,063 career points – third among active GNAC players – and owns a career scoring average of 10.2 points per game in 104 games played for the ‘Jackets.
 
MSUB Head Coach Kevin Woodin on Boyce: “Dyauni is a fifth-year senior who has established herself as one of the top players in the conference. She had a great year last year and played her best down the stretch and in our postseason run. Her versatility and ability to score at all levels are important in our offensive system. Dyauni is a tremendous student-athlete and leader both on and off the court.”
 
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7817Aspen Giese – Montana State University Billings
Senior – Guard – 5-8 – Fort Benton, Mont. – Fort Benton High School
 
Starting 33 of 35 games as a guard for the ‘Jackets last year, Giese averaged 9.5 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game. The senior from Fort Benton, Mont., ranked fourth in the league with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 39.9, eighth in made 3-pointers per game with 1.8 and ninth in assist-turnover ratio at 1.4. Giese’s signature performance of the year was a career-high 29-point outburst on Feb. 29, 2024 at Alaska Fairbanks, and she had a season-best seven assists on Nov. 3, 2023 against Texas Woman’s University.
 
MSUB Head Coach Kevin Woodin on Giese: “Aspen is one of the top perimeter players in our league. She is an elite defender and rebounder and can score from anywhere, anytime. Like Dyauni and Kortney, she is an outstanding leader and student-athlete, and her work ethic is vital to our program. I look for Aspen to have her best season yet in 2024-25.”
 
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7824Kortney Nelson – Montana State University Billings
Senior – Guard – 5-8 – Scobey, Mont. – Scobey High School
 
The conference’s coaches voted Nelson the 2023-24 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, after she started all 35 games in her fourth season with the ‘Jackets. Nelson averaged 9.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and ranked eighth in the conference with 3.4 assists per game. She converted free throws at a clip of 82.7 %, and ranked second in the conference with an assist-turnover ratio of 2.3. Playing at her best down the stretch for the ‘Jackets, Nelson reached her season high of 19 points twice in her final five games and recorded a pair of double-doubles during that span. Nelson has started 87 games and played in 100 for the ‘Jackets over the last four years, and enters the 2024-25 campaign with 830 career points.
 
MSUB Head Coach Kevin Woodin on Nelson: “Kortney runs our offense and does an amazing job of getting our team in the right places offensively. Her basketball decision-making ability is outstanding, and her competitiveness and will to win is contagious. Kortney was honored a year ago with the GNAC defensive player of the year award and her ability to guard all types of offensive players is critical to our team’s success.”
 
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7820Kendall Clark – Northwest Nazarene University
Sophomore – Guard/Forward – 5-10 – Melba, Idaho – Melba High School
 
Turning heads in her debut collegiate season, Clark was selected by the conference’s coaches as the 2023-24 GNAC Freshman of the Year. The Melba, Idaho, native ranked 13th in the league in scoring with 12.0 points per game and 16th in the league in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game. Clark’s field-goal percentage of 51.3 ranked seventh in the GNAC, and she made a season-best 10 field goals on two occasions including a 10-for-12 performance against Simon Fraser on Jan. 11, 2024 for a season-high 23 points.
 
NNU Head Coach Steve Steele on Clark: “I'm really excited to see Kendall build on what she started last year. She's just so fun to coach and her enthusiasm is infectious. She's worked really hard to expand her game and her teammates are doing a great job of getting her the ball. She came into this school year in excellent shape, and hopefully her confidence will just continue to grow throughout the season.”
 
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7822Madeline Gebers – Northwest Nazarene University
Senior – Guard/Forward – 6-0 – Kennewick, Wash. – Spokane Falls CC
 
One of the league’s top newcomers last season, Gebers slotted immediately into the Nighthawk lineup after transferring from Spokane Falls Community College. The 6-foot guard/forward ranked 10th in the conference in scoring with 13.7 points per game while adding 4.0 rebounds per game. Her offensive success came from being one of the top shooters in the country, as she led the conference and ranked second in Division II basketball with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 46.7. Gebers’ top performance came in her season finale, as she converted 7 of 9 treys on her way to a season-high 30 points on March 2, 2024 against Saint Martin’s.
 
NNU Head Coach Steve Steele on Gebers: “Maddie has really taken on a leadership role for us this season, and it's been fun to see. I know she got a lot of attention for her shooting last season (and deservedly so), but she does so many other things to help us be successful. She has markedly improved on the defensive side of the ball and on the boards, and her teammates are doing a good job following her lead.”
 
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7825Sarah Lamet – Saint Martin’s University
Junior – Forward – 6-4 – Tigard, Ore. – Tigard High School
 
Leading the Saints last season, Lamet averaged 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She converted at a clip of 42.7% from the floor, and ranked fifth in the GNAC with 1.0 blocked shots per game. Helping her team win its final three games of the season, Lamet scored a personal-best 22 points on Feb. 24, 2024 against Alaska Fairbanks. It was one of seven games on the season in which she reached double figures in scoring, and she posted a season-high 11 rebounds on Feb. 8, 2024 against Seattle Pacific.
 
SMU Head Coach Natalie Marlowe on Lamet: “Sarah has been battle tested throughout her first two seasons in the GNAC facing All-American post players, and she has not taken it for granted. Her ambition to be one of the best post players in the conference is evident every day in practice. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to coach her and cannot wait to watch the hard work she committed to over the summer showcased this season.” 
 
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7814Hunter Beirne – Seattle Pacific University
Senior – Guard – 5-7 – Mukilteo, Wash. – Kamiak High School
 
Beirne returns for a fifth season with the Falcons and is coming off a productive campaign to help the team reach the GNAC Championships. The senior from Mukilteo, Wash., averaged 9.5 points, 2.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, and was a workhorse for SPU ranking eighth in the conference with 31.1 minutes per game. Facing an important regular-season finale on March 2 against Alaska Fairbanks, Beirne erupted for a season-high 28 points to help solidify her team’s spot in the conference tournament. She achieved double figures in points 10 times last season.
 
SPU Head Coach Karen Byers on Beirne: “Hunter has been and is a crucial part of our team. She is a beloved teammate who leads us year round. She is a diligent worker, always making sure the team is prepared and has what we need in any circumstance on or off the court. She is dependable, caring and is the one we look to when we need our offense to take off.”
 
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7815Schuyler Berry – Seattle Pacific University
Senior – Center – 6-3 – Portland, Ore. – Grant High School
 
One of the most physical presences in the league at 6-foot-3, Berry returns for her senior campaign where she’ll be looked upon as a leadership figure for the Falcons. Berry averaged 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last year, while shooting 44.1% from the floor and ranking eighth in the conference with 0.8 blocks per game. A product of Portland’s Grant High School, Berry notched a monster 22-point, 16-rebound double-double against Stanislaus State on Dec. 14, 2023. She scored in double figures 15 times total last year, and went for 20 points or more on three occasions.
 
SPU Head Coach Karen Byers on Berry: “Sky is a dynamic player on the court and a dependable teammate. She is our rock and encourages us when practices or games get hard. She is the first one to pick us up, helps keep us all refocused and will be the first to celebrate the team.”
 
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7819Sophia Wisotzki – Simon Fraser University
Senior – Guard – 5-10 – Langley, B.C. – Walnut Grove Secondary
 
One of the league’s top returning offensive threats, Wisotzki is back after ranking third in the GNAC with 17.2 points per game last winter. A unanimous first-team all-conference selection, Wisotzki pitched in 2.8 assists per game, ranked sixth in the league with 1.6 steals per game and ranked eighth in free-throw percentage at 83.1. Wisotzki failed to reach double digits in scoring just five times last season. She had a stretch of four-straight 20-point efforts from Feb. 8-22, 2024, including her two highest scoring games of the year with 32 points at Seattle Pacific and 31 points at Northwest Nazarene. Wisotzki enters her senior season fourth among active GNAC players with 854 career points.
 
SFU Head Coach Bruce Langford on Wisotzki: “Sophia combines a very competitive spirit with great quickness. Offensively, her quickness allows her to score in multiple ways. Defensively, her quickness and length allow her to guard different positions in varying situations. She ignites those around her with her energy.”
 
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7826Mason Oberg – Western Washington University
Junior – Guard – 5-5 – Vancouver, Wash. – Union High School
 
Oberg played a crucial role in leading the Vikings to their second-straight GNAC Championships title, starting 24 games and averaging 27.7 minutes per game primarily at point guard. Oberg ranked second on the team and 15th in the GNAC with 11.2 points per game, shooting 41.2% overall and 80.7% from the free-throw line. She chipped in 2.1 assists per game, and ranked third in the conference with a 3-point field-goal percentage of 43.3. Oberg reached her season high of 18 points in back-to-back games on Nov. 18, 2023 and Nov. 24, 2023, and led the Vikings to victory with 17 points in the GNAC Championships title game – a 54-52 win over the Yellowjackets.
 
WWU Head Coach Carmen Dolfo on Oberg: “Mason is the glue of our team. Her leadership is essential to our team’s success, and she takes a step forward every year on her ability to both score and defend.”
 
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7828Olivia Wikstrom – Western Washington University
Senior – Guard – 6-1 – Bainbridge Island, Wash. – Bainbridge High School
 
Another integral part of last year’s title team, Wikstrom saw action in all 31 contests coming off the bench. In her 18.7 minutes per game, Wikstrom contributed 7.1 points and 4.7 rebounds, while leading the team with a free-throw percentage of 84.2. In her first year after transferring from Utah State, Wikstrom reached double figures in scoring on seven occasions including a season-high 17 points on Dec. 18, 2023 against Cal State San Bernardino. Wikstrom had a season-best 13 rebounds on Jan. 11, 2024, and completed a double-double with 14 points against Central Washington.
 
WWU Head Coach Carmen Dolfo on Wikstrom: “Olivia has worked incredibly hard this past spring and summer and has come back ready to have an incredible senior year. Her ability to score inside and out and rebound can make her hard to guard.”
 
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