After dominating the 2025-2026 women's college basketball season, UConn did the same to the year-end All-American teams. Huskies stars Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong were two of the five first-team All-Americans, marking the first time in six years a pair of teammates received the honor in the same season.
Fudd and Strong headlined the five players listed as first-team All-Americans by the Associated Press on Wednesday. They were joined by UCLA's Lauren Betts, Texas' Madison Booker and Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes.
more All-America honors for these two 🌟
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are AP First Teamers! pic.twitter.com/8s3aSF4ydD
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 18, 2026
Fudd and Strong become the first pair of teammates to highlight the same first-team All-American list since Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard achieved the feat in 2020, per ESPN.
The iconic UConn women's basketball duo led the Huskies to a perfect 34-0 record entering the NCAA Tournament, in which they captured the overall No. 1 seed. Strong leads the way with 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 1.4 blocks, while also chipping in 4.1 assists per game. Fudd is right behind her, tallying 17.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals in 34 contests.
UConn's leaders are two of the biggest stars in women's college basketball, as are Betts and Booker. Blakes broke out in her sophomore season with Vanderbilt to emerge as the country's leading scorer with 27.0 points per game.
Geno Auriemma “thrilled” for Azzi Fudd, Sarah Strong
Seeing Fudd and Strong atop the AP All-American list was not surprising, but it was a moment of bliss for Geno Auriemma. The longtime head coach admitted he was “thrilled” for his star players, specifically shouting out Fudd for overcoming adversity in her collegiate career on her road to the top.
“I'm thrilled for Azzi and Sarah,” Auriemma said, via Associated Press. “They worked really hard this season and they're great teammates. It's been a long time coming for Azzi. She's worked through so many hardships in her time at UConn, and it's great to see all her perseverance pay off.”
Fudd received her first All-American nod in her fifth and final season in Storrs. The 23-year-old missed all but two games of the 2023-2024 season with a torn ACL, which she spent the majority of the next year recovering from.
Strong earns her second All-American honor in as many years at UConn. The former No. 1 overall recruit was a second-teamer in her freshman season before firmly establishing herself as the most dominant player in the country in year two.
