BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The preseason accolades continue to roll in for Vanderbilt women’s basketball sophomore Mikayla Blakes, as the guard was named to the preseason All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches.
Blakes is coming off the most successful freshman campaign in program history, as she averaged 23.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game a season ago. Her 23.3 points per game average led all NCAA Division I freshmen, while she led first-year players nationally in seven different categories. In 2024-25, the Somerset, New Jersey, native posted the second-highest scoring average (23.3 ppg) in a season in school history and scored the second-most points (769). Last week, the sophomore was selected to the preseason All-SEC first team by the media.
Additionally, the Commodores were selected at No. 8 in the Preseason SEC Coaches Poll. It is the highest preseason prognostication for Vanderbilt under fifth-year head coach Shea Ralph, who has Vandy seeking its third consecutive bid into the NCAA Tournament this season. Earlier this month, the Dores came in at No. 7 in the Preseason SEC Media Poll. The Commodores will open a season ranked inside the top 25 in the Associated Press poll for the first time since 2012-13, as Vandy came in at No. 19 in the preseason Associated Press top 25 poll.
Vanderbilt women’s basketball season tickets and mini-plans are on sale now. Fans can click here to view all game times for the 2025-26 campaign.
Blakes was named the USBWA Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year last season, making her the first Commodore to win a National Freshman of the Year honor from any publication. She was also named an All-American by six different publications during her freshman season.
Along with her national honors, Blakes was selected as the SEC Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches and was named the SEC Newcomer of the Year by USA Today. The guard set the NCAA Division I single-game scoring record for a freshman by scoring 55 points in an overtime win at Auburn on Feb. 16, 2025. Blakes twice set the SEC and Vanderbilt single-game scoring records, as she first had 53 points at Florida on Jan. 30, then topped that performance with a 55-point effort at Auburn. She is the second NCAA Division I player in NCAA history to score 53-plus points in multiple games in a season and the first since the 1988-89 campaign.
The Vanderbilt women’s basketball team takes to the court for the first time in 2025-26 this Monday, as the Commodores will participate in the 2025 Hoops for St. Jude® Tip Off Classic, presented by Bad Boy Mowers. The Commodores take on Memphis in an exhibition contest at the FedExForum, live on ESPNU. Tipoff is set at 5:30 p.m. CT. Fans can purchase tickets by clicking the link here.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt women’s basketball team, follow @VandyWBB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter/X.
2025-26 Preseason SEC Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
- Texas
- South Carolina
- LSU
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Ole Miss
- Kentucky
- Vanderbilt
- Alabama
- Florida
- Georgia
- Mississippi State
- Texas A&M
- Missouri
- Auburn
- Arkansas
SEC Preseason Player of the Year
Madison Booker, Texas
All-SEC First Team
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU
Mikaylah Williams, LSU
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Joyce Edwards, South Carolina
Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina
Talaysia Cooper, Tennessee
Madison Booker, Texas
Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt
All-SEC Second Team
Essence Cody, Alabama
Liv McGill, Florida
Teonni Key, Kentucky
Clara Strack, Kentucky
MiLaysia Fulwiley, LSU
Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss
Payton Verhulst, Oklahoma
Rori Harmon, Texas
