By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – The fourth-leading scorer in Great Northwest Athletic Conference history added the title of GNAC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year to her resume on Tuesday, as Central Washington’s
Sunny Huerta took home the league’s top honor within the 2024-25 all-conference teams.
The senior guard from Whittier, Calif., averaged 18.8 points per game this season and enters this week’s conference tournament with 1,876 career points. Earlier this season she broke the school record of 1,696 points set by Rose Shaw, who was the first GNAC Player of the Year in 2002. Huerta joined Shaw, Kassidy Malcolm (2022) and Samantha Bowman (2023) as the fourth woman in school history to earn the league’s top honor and the third in the last four seasons.
Regular-season champion Alaska Anchorage claimed three of the conference’s five major awards, including GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and GNAC Newcomer of the Year
Emilia Long and GNAC Coach of the Year
Ryan McCarthy. Long, who leads NCAA Division II basketball with 4.28 steals per game and shattered the GNAC single-season record with 124 steals and counting, joined two-time Defensive POTY winner Kiki Robertson as the second woman in school history to win that honor. She joined a long list of Seawolves to win the Newcomer of the Year honor, becoming the 10th in program history with that distinction. She is the first woman in GNAC history to claim both awards, let alone in the same season.
McCarthy led his team to its GNAC-record ninth conference title, going 16-2 in league play and capturing the No. 1 seed into this week’s GNAC Championships tournament. This marks his sixth GNAC Coach of the Year honor – the most of any coach in league history.
Ryan McCarthy delivered UAA's ninth regular-season title and earned his sixth GNAC Coach of the Year award - both figures being the most in GNAC history (Photo: Stephanie Burgoon).
Jada Travis of Saint Martin’s was a clear-cut selection for GNAC Freshman of the Year, after ranking seventh in the league with 14.6 points per game, third in the league with 4.2 assists per game and sixth in the league with 2.0 steals per game. She is the third woman in program history to claim top freshman honors, joining back-to-back picks Saniah Simpson-Patu (2018) and Claire Dingus (2019).
| 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball Special Awards |
| Award |
Player |
| GNAC Player of the Year |
Sunny Huerta, Central Washington |
| GNAC Defensive Player of the Year |
Emilia Long, Alaska Anchorage |
| GNAC Newcomer of the Year |
Emilia Long, Alaska Anchorage |
| GNAC Freshman of the Year |
Jada Travis, Saint Martin's |
| GNAC Coach of the Year |
Ryan McCarthy, Alaska Anchorage |
| First-Team All-Conference |
| Player |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
| *!^ Sunny Huerta |
Central Washington |
G |
5-4 |
Sr. |
Whittier, CA |
| *$% Dyauni Boyce |
Montana State Billings |
F |
5-11 |
Sr. |
Winifred, MT |
| *% Tori Hollingshead |
Alaska Anchorage |
C |
6-3 |
Sr. |
Orem, UT |
| *$! Asher Cai |
Central Washington |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Colfax, WA |
| Emilia Long |
Alaska Anchorage |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Port Angeles, WA |
| @ Kendall Clark |
Northwest Nazarene |
G/F |
5-10 |
So. |
Melba, ID |
| * Olivia Wikstrom |
Western Washington |
G |
6-1 |
Sr. |
Bainbridge Island, WA |
| Second-Team All-Conference |
| Player |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
| *! Sophia Wisotzki |
Simon Fraser |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Langley, BC |
| $ Aspen Giese |
Montana State Billings |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Fort Benton, MT |
| %#& Kortney Nelson |
Montana State Billings |
G |
5-8 |
Sr. |
Scobey, MT |
| Kiana Rios |
Saint Martin's |
G |
5-9 |
Jr. |
Warden, WA |
| Hunter Beirne |
Seattle Pacific |
G |
5-7 |
Sr. |
Mukilteo, WA |
| Jada Travis |
Saint Martin's |
G |
5-5 |
Fr. |
Tacoma, WA |
| Bella Pedrojetti |
Western Oregon |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Medford, OR |
| Honorable Mention All-Conference |
| Player |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown |
| Jazzpher Evans |
Alaska Anchorage |
G |
5-6 |
Sr. |
Joliet, IL |
| Elaina Mack |
Alaska Anchorage |
G |
5-8 |
Jr. |
King Cove, AK |
| Ashlyn Rean |
Alaska Anchorage |
F |
6-1 |
Fr. |
Rangiora, NZ |
| Destiny Reimers |
Alaska Fairbanks |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Anchorage, AK |
| @ Capri Sims |
Central Washington |
F |
6-0 |
So. |
Post Falls, ID |
| Chloe Williams |
Montana State Billings |
G |
5-10 |
Sr. |
Liberty Lake, WA |
| Alyson Deaver |
Western Washington |
F |
6-0 |
Jr. |
Sumner, WA |
| Demi Dykstra |
Western Washington |
G |
5-9 |
So. |
Lynden, WA |
| Maddy Grandbois |
Western Washington |
G |
5-9 |
Sr. |
Marysville, WA |
*-Unanimous Selection | !-2023-24 First Team All-GNAC | %-2023-24 Second Team All-GNAC | @-2023-24 Honorable Mention All-GNAC | ^-2022-23 First Team All-GNAC
#-2022-23 Second Team All-GNAC | $-2022-23 Honorable Mention All-GNAC | &-2021-22 Honorable Mention All-GNAC |
Headlining the all-conference team, Huerta became just the fourth woman in GNAC history to earn first-team all-league three times in her career. She joined Rebecca Kielpinski of Alaska Anchorage (2007-09), Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe of Simon Fraser (2011-13) and Bobbi Knudsen of Montana State Billings (2012-14). In addition to her scoring prowess this winter, Huerta led the GNAC in 3-point shooting (44.3%) and minutes per game (36.1), ranked sixth in assists per game (3.8) and free-throw percentage (81.8%), eighth in assist-turnover ratio (1.3) and ninth in field-goal percentage (46.6%). Huerta needs 10 more made field goals to break the GNAC all-time record of 699 (held by Alaska’s Jordan Wilson, 2013-17), ranks third in GNAC history in minutes played (4,103), ranks sixth in GNAC history in 3-point shooting (41.8%), is among 15 players in league history with 200 or more made 3-pointers (201) and ranks 15th in league history in assists (395).
| GNAC Women's Basketball All-Time Scoring Leaders (as of March 4, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
Points |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Alisha Breen |
2,001 |
Montana State Billings |
2013-18 |
| 2 |
Erin Chambers |
1,946 |
Simon Fraser |
2011-15 |
| 3 |
Taylor Peacocke |
1,940 |
Western Washington |
2013-17 |
| 4 |
Sunny Huerta |
1,876 |
Central Washington |
2021-25 |
| 5 |
Bobbi Knudsen |
1,831 |
Montana State Billings |
2010-14 |
| 6 |
Jordan Wilson |
1,783 |
Alaska Fairbanks |
2013-17 |
| 7 |
Rebecca Kielpinski |
1,752 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2005-09 |
| 8 |
Rose Shaw |
1,696 |
Central Washington |
1998-02 |
| 9 |
Amanda Dunbar |
1,654 |
Western Washington |
2007-11 |
| 10 |
Katie Benson |
1,645 |
Seattle Pacific |
2010-14 |
Joining Huerta on the all-conference list was fellow first-teamer
Asher Cai and honorable mention selection
Capri Sims. Cai made it two straight seasons on the first team, after putting up an all-around stellar statistical season. She ranked third in the GNAC in scoring (17.6 ppg), fourth in rebounding (7.3 rpg), ninth in steals per game (2.0) and 10th in assists per game (3.4). Sims meanwhile led the GNAC with 8.4 rebounds per game, while chipping in 10.0 points per game to pick up her second straight honorable mention nod.
UAA’s Long set the GNAC single-game record for steals with 11 in her first-ever appearance with the Seawolves on Nov. 1, and never looked back on her way to a historic campaign. She became just the second player in conference history to amass 100 or more points, rebounds, assists and steals in a single season, joining UAA’s Robertson (2016-17). Long led the GNAC in assists per game with 5.2, ranked second in assist-turnover ratio at 2.2, and chipped in 12.4 points per game. Teammate
Tori Hollingshead joined her on the first team as a unanimous selection, after ranking third in the GNAC with 7.4 rebounds per game, 10th in scoring at 13.9 points per game and leading the league with 1.4 blocks per game. The Seawolves totaled five all-conference selections, with senior
Jazzpher Evans, junior
Elaina Mack and freshman
Ashlyn Rean each claiming honorable mention.
UAA's Emilia Long broke the GNAC single-game and single-season records for steals and was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and GNAC Newcomer of the Year (Photo: Stephanie Burgoon).
| GNAC Women's Basketball Single-Season Steals Leaders (as of March 4, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
Steals |
School |
Season |
| 1 |
Emilia Long |
124 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2024-25 |
| 2 |
Kiki Robertson |
109 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2016-17 |
| 3 |
Kian McNair |
106 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2018-19 |
| 4 |
Alysson Kollmann |
105 |
Northwest Nazarene |
2002-03 |
| 5 |
Kiki Robertson |
100 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2014-15 |
| 6 |
Taylor Simmons |
94 |
Northwest Nazarene |
2014-15 |
| 7 |
Marina Valles |
92 |
Northwest Nazarene |
2019-20 |
| 8 |
Trishi Williams |
90 |
Western Washington |
2012-13 |
|
Kiki Robertson |
90 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2013-14 |
| 10 |
Shantell Marquis |
89 |
Montana State Billings |
2008-09 |
|
Yazmeen Goo |
89 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2017-18 |
Montana State Billings senior
Dyauni Boyce claimed first-team all-GNAC for the first time in her stellar career and made it three consecutive seasons with all-conference recognition. The fifth-year Yellowjacket was a unanimous first-team pick, after ranking fifth in the GNAC with 15.6 points per game, ninth with 6.5 rebounds per game and 10th with 0.9 blocks per game. Boyce’s 1,548 career points rank her 15th in GNAC history, and when she takes the court in Friday’s semifinal contest she will tie Alaska Anchorage’s Hannah Wandersee (2015-19) for the most games played in conference history with 136.
| GNAC Active Leaders – Career Points (as of March 4, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
Points |
School |
Career |
| 1 |
Sunny Huerta |
1,876 |
Central Washington |
2021-25 |
| 2 |
Dyauni Boyce |
1,548 |
Montana State Billings |
2020-25 |
| 3 |
Sophia Wisotzki |
1,520 |
Simon Fraser |
2021-25 |
| 4 |
Asher Cai |
1,499 |
Central Washington |
2022-25 |
| 5 |
Aspen Giese |
1,160 |
Montana State Billings |
2021-25 |
| 6 |
Kortney Nelson |
1,102 |
Montana State Billings |
2020-25 |
| 7 |
Jazzpher Evans |
1,042 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2021-25 |
| 8 |
Destiny Reimers |
1,031 |
Alaska Fairbanks |
2021-25 |
| 9 |
Hunter Beirne |
921 |
Seattle Pacific |
2020-25 |
| 10 |
Kiana Rios |
878 |
Saint Martin's |
2022-25 |
Boyce was among four Yellowjacket seniors to claim all-conference, with
Kortney Nelson and
Aspen Giese earning second team and
Chloe Williams being tabbed honorable mention. Nelson, last season’s GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, earned all-conference for the fourth straight year including three-straight second-team selections. She ranked second in the GNAC with 4.4 assists per game, led the league in assist-turnover ratio at 2.3 and was eighth in the league in rebounding at 6.6. Giese leads Division II basketball in made 3-pointers with 97 – the third-most in GNAC single-season history and 11 shy of the GNAC single-season record of 108 set by UAA’s Jenna Buchanan in 2015-16. Giese is second in the league in 3-point shooting at 42.7%, 12th in scoring with 13.8 points per game and 13th in rebounding at 5.9 boards per game. A three-time GNAC Player of the Week this season, Giese was an honorable mention all-league pick in 2022-23. Williams added 9.0 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game and made 30 starts to pick up her first all-GNAC recognition.
| GNAC Women’s Basketball – Single-Season Made 3-Pointers Leaders (as of March 4, 2025) |
| Rank |
Player |
3-Pointers |
School |
Season |
| 1 |
Jenna Buchanan |
108 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2015-16 |
| 2 |
Elisa Homer |
99 |
Simon Fraser |
2015-16 |
| 3 |
Aspen Giese |
97 |
Montana State Billings |
2024-25 |
| 4 |
Kizzah Maltezo |
92 |
Central Washington |
2021-22 |
| 5 |
Amanda Dunbar |
91 |
Western Washington |
2009-10 |
| 6 |
Taylor Peacocke |
86 |
Western Washington |
2016-17 |
| 7 |
Olivia Vezaldenos |
84 |
Concordia |
2018-19 |
| 8 |
Maria Nilsson |
83 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2007-08 |
| 9 |
Adrienne Taalak |
80 |
Alaska |
2003-04 |
|
Alira Carpenter |
80 |
Montana State Billings |
2007-08 |
|
Asher Cai |
80 |
Central Washington |
2023-24 |
Western Washington, which finished fourth in the GNAC standings at 12-6 in league play, was represented on the first-team by senior
Olivia Wikstrom. The guard from Bainbridge Island, Wash., was fourth in the GNAC in 3-point shooting (40.3%), seventh in rebounding (7.0) and added 12.9 points per game. WWU senior
Maddy Grandbois, junior
Alyson Deaver and sophomore
Demi Dykstra were each honorable mention all-conference picks and each earned their first all-GNAC recognition.
Northwest Nazarene’s
Kendall Clark – the 2023-24 GNAC Freshman of the Year – picked up first-team all-GNAC after an impressive sophomore campaign. The guard/forward from Melba, Idaho, was fourth in the GNAC in scoring (15.7 ppg), fifth in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and led the league in shooting (56.8%).
Travis and her teammate junior
Kiana Rios were the Saints’ representatives, each earning second-team all-league for their first-ever all-GNAC honors. Rios ranked 11th in the GNAC in scoring at 13.8 points per game and 11th in rebounding at 6.2 boards per game, helping her team secure its spot in a conference tournament that will be played on its home floor this week.
Saint Martin's freshman Jada Travis was named GNAC Freshman of the Year after leading her team into this week's conference tournament (Photo: Ron Smith).
Sophia Wisotzki of Simon Fraser garnered second-team all-conference honors, after leading the conference and ranking third in the NCAA, and breaking the GNAC single-season record with 24.7 points per game. Wisotzki’s 666 points scored in her senior campaign were fifth-most in GNAC single-season history, and her scoring average was more than a full point higher than the previous GNAC mark of 23.5 points per game set by SFU’s Erin Chambers in 2014-15. It was Wisotzki’s second-career all-conference honor, after being a first-team pick last year. Wisotzki finished her career No. 16 in GNAC history with 1,520 points scored.
SFU's Sophia Wisotzki shattered the GNAC single-season record with 24.7 points per game in 2024-25 (Photo: Gordon Kalisch/FastTrackSportsPhotography).
| GNAC Women's Basketball - Single-Season Points Per Game Leaders |
| Rank |
Player |
Points/Game |
School |
Season |
| 1 |
Sophia Wisotzki |
24.7 |
Simon Fraser |
2024-25 |
| 2 |
Erin Chambers |
23.5 |
Simon Fraser |
2014-15 |
| 3 |
Taylor Peacocke |
23.3 |
Western Washington |
2016-17 |
| 4 |
Alira Carpenter |
22.3 |
Montana State Billings |
2008-09 |
| 5 |
Samantha Bowman |
22.2 |
Central Washington |
2022-23 |
| 6 |
Alisha Breen |
21.4 |
Montana State Billings |
2017-18 |
| 7 |
Autummn Williams |
21.3 |
Alaska Anchorage |
2016-17 |
| 8 |
Leada Berkey |
21.1 |
Western Oregon |
2006-07 |
| 9 |
Jessica Wisotzki |
21.0 |
Simon Fraser |
2022-23 |
| 10 |
Jordan Wilson |
21.0 |
Alaska Fairbanks |
2016-17 |
Bella Pedrojetti was Western Oregon’s representative on the all-conference list, as she claimed second-team all-league for the first time in her career. The senior from Medford, Ore., finished the campaign sixth in the GNAC with 15.2 points per game and upped her two-year total in a Wolves uniform to 609 points scored in 48 games played (12.7 ppg).
Hunter Beirne of Seattle Pacific was a first-time all-conference honoree, landing on the second team after a standout campaign. The fifth-year senior from Mukilteo, Wash., finished eighth in the GNAC with 14.4 points per game and seventh in the league with 3.8 assists per game. In 98 games played in her SPU career Beirne totaled 921 points scored.
All 10 GNAC women’s teams were featured on the all-conference list, with Alaska Fairbanks’
Destiny Reimers garnering honorable mention selection for the first time in her career. A senior from Anchorage, Alaska, Reimers had her most productive season yet ranking ninth in the GNAC with 14.0 points per game and 10th in the league with 6.4 rebounds per game. Reimers finished her career with 1,031 points scored and was a fixture in the Nanook lineup with 91 games played since the fall of 2021.
The 2025 GNAC Women’s Basketball Championships kick off on Thursday afternoon at Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin’s in Lacey, Wash. Complete tournament information
can be found online here.