ATLANTA – On Wednesday, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced that Vanderbilt women’s basketball sophomore Mikayla Blakes has been named a finalist for the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year, while Commodore head coach Shea Ralph was selected as a 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year finalist.
Both Blakes and Ralph were named one of four finalists for their respective Naismith awards. Players also up for the 2026 Jersey Mike’s Naismith Trophy Women’s College Player of the Year are Lauren Betts of UCLA and UConn’s Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong. The other three finalists for the 2026 Werner Ladder Naismith Women’s College Coach of the Year are Geno Auriemma of UConn, Cori Close of UCLA and Vic Schaefer of Texas. Winners for both awards will be announced next Wednesday, April 1.
Once again, this year fans will have a say in determining winners through the Naismith Awards Fan Vote presented by Jersey Mike’s, starting Wednesday, March 25, fans can visit www.naismithfanvote.com to cast their ballot for any of the three Naismith Awards. Voting ends at 11 a.m. CT on Monday, March 30, and fans are limited to one vote per day. The fan vote will account for 5% of the total vote.
In her fifth season at the helm in the Music City, Ralph has guided Vanderbilt back to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 17 seasons. The Commodores successfully defended Memorial Gymnasium in the first two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as Vandy defeated High Point (102-61) and Illinois (75-57) to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008-09.
Ralph has guided Vandy to a 29-4 overall record and a 13-3 mark in SEC games. The Dores concluded the SEC regular season tied for second place, matching the best conference finish in program history. Ralph led Vanderbilt to a top-five ranking this season in both the AP top 25 and the USA Today/WBCA coaches poll, marking the first time since the 2001-02. The Commodores spent five weeks inside the top five, while Vanderbilt has been ranked in the top 10 in both polls for 11 consecutive weeks heading into the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Blakes is averaging 27.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.9 steals per game this season. Her 27.0 points per game led NCAA Division I in scoring, while her 13 games with 30-plus points this season were the most by a player in the country. The sophomore set the SEC ablaze this season, as the All-American averaged 30.5 points per game, while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from behind the arc in league games. Blakes had 10 of her 12 30-point efforts against SEC teams, which includes a season-high 38 points at Mississippi State on Jan. 15.
Vanderbilt’s 29 wins are third-most in program history, while the 13 SEC victories set the school record for the most in a season. Vandy earned a No. 2 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and hosted March Madness games in Memorial Gymnasium for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign. The Commodores are heading to the second weekend of the March Madness for the first time since the 2008-09 season.
No. 6/6-ranked Vanderbilt takes on No. 22/25 Notre Dame in the Sweet 16 on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff from Dickies Arena is set for 1:30 p.m. CT and airs live on ESPN.
The Anchored for Her Campaign
Vanderbilt launched the Anchored for Her campaign to honor its pioneering female student-athletes and cement the university’s place as the premier destination for women’s sports ahead of next year’s 50th anniversary of its varsity women’s teams. Bolstered by lead gifts from Vanderbilt Board of Trust members Nina Kohler and Kathleen Justice-Moore, JD’91, Anchored for Her’s initial $50 million goal will fuel investment in sustainable success for a new era of collegiate athletics through facility enhancements, endowed scholarships, coaching and staff positions, capital support and naming opportunities, team-specific Excellence Funds, the Women’s Athletics General Fund and the Competitive Excellence Fund.
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