SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Vanderbilt women’s basketball junior Aalyah Del Rosario was named to the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award preseason watch list, part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s Starting 5 awards, on Friday afternoon.
It is the first time that Del Rosario has been selected to the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award preseason watch list. The 6-6 center comes to Vanderbilt after a two-year stint at LSU, where she helped the Tigers reach the Elite 8 in each of the last two seasons and was an All-SEC freshman team selection in 2023-24.
The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native is the first player in program history to hail from the Dominican. Standing at 6-6, Del Rosario is the tallest player to suit up for Vanderbilt under fifth-year head coach Shea Ralph, while the center is the tallest Commodore since 6-6 Emily Bowman played for the Dores in 2020-21.
Known for her efficient shooting, Del Rosario carries a career 50.3 percent field goal percentage. She played in 65 career games at LSU, serving a reserve role behind All-American post players Angel Reese and Aneesha Morrow the last two seasons. Del Rosario showed her efficiency in her unofficial Commodore debut this past Monday in the 2025 Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, as the 6-6 center went 3-of-3 from the field to collect six points in the 104-68 exhibition win over Memphis.
A 2023 McDonald’s All-American, Del Rosario was a 5-star prospect and ranked as the No. 7 player in the Class of 2023 by HoopGurlz/espnW coming out of The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. She is the highest-rated player in the HoopGurlz/espnW rankings that Vanderbilt has brought into the program.
Del Rosario is the third Commodore to be named to a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Starting 5 preseason watch list this week, as Mikayla Blakes was selected to the Ann Meyers-Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year Award preseason watch list on Tuesday, and Sacha Washington was named to the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year Award preseason watch list.
The No. 19/21-ranked Vanderbilt women’s basketball team opens the 2025-26 season on Nov. 3, as the Commodores travel to Paris, France, to face California at Oui-Play Paris. Tipoff against the Golden Bears is set for 1:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU.
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2026 Lisa Leslie Award Candidates*
Lara Rohkohl, BYU
Sakima Walker, Cal
Audi Crooks, Iowa State
Clara Strack, Kentucky
Laura Ziegler, Louisville
Kate Koval, LSU
Ra Shaya Kyle, Miami
Ashley Sofilkanich, Michigan
Tilda Trygger, NC State
Megan Nestor, North Texas
Raegan Beers, Oklahoma
Gracie Merkle, Penn State
Madina Okot, South Carolina
Brooklyn Meyer, South Dakota State
Kennedy Umeh, Stanford
Breya Cunningham, Texas
Lauren Ware, Texas A&M
Lauren Betts, UCLA
Serah Williams, UConn
Aalyah Del Rosario, Vanderbilt
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season
