University of Connecticut Athletics
Fudd Named CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year; Fudd, Strong Earn Academic All-America Honors
4/15/2026 12:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball
GREENWOOD, Indiana – UConn women's basketball alumna and No.1 WNBA overall draft pick Azzi Fudd was named the 2025-26 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team Member of the Year on Wednesday. Fudd and sophomore Sarah Strong were named 2025-26 CSC Academic First Team All-Americans.
Fudd was selected No. 1 by the Dallas Wings on Monday. She is the sixth player to earn CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year and be the No. 1 draft pick in the same year.
Fudd is currently pursuing a master's degree in business administration while maintaining a 3.57 grade-point average. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications in 2024 with a 3.58 GPA.
A 2025 National Champion and the 2025 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, Fudd earned 2026 All-America honors from the WBCA, AP and USBWA. She was the 2026 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year, a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection, BIG EAST All-Tournament Team selection and NCAA Fort Worth All-Region Team pick.
A native of Arlington, Va., Fudd finished her career in the UConn record book at No. 5 in career three pointers made (292), No. 7 in career three-point percentage (42.2%), No. 1 in career free throw percentage (92.5%) and No. 4 in single-season three pointers made (117, 2025-26).
Fudd played her best collegiate basketball season in 2025-26. Starting all 39 games, she averaged a career-high 17.7 points per game on personal-best shooting percentages (.489/.455/.955). Fudd set single-season career highs in points (673), rebounds (100), assists (117), blocks (18) and steals (97).
This is the fifth time a UConn player has earned Academic All-America Team Member of the Year: Rebecca Lobo (1995), Jennifer Rizzotti (1996), Maya Moore (2010, '11) and Fudd (2026).
Strong is the consensus National Player of the Year, having earned the 2026 Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Wade Trophy, AP Player of the Year and USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year. She is also the 2026 Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year.
Strong holds a 3.61 GPA as an undeclared major.
Strong led UConn in points (18.4 PPG), rebounds (7.7 RPG), blocks (1.6 BPG) and steals (3.4 SPG). An incredibly efficient player, Strong put up those numbers on a .582/.404/.833 shooting split in 27.4 minutes per game.
Strong was named the unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year, as well as unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team and to the All-Defensive Team. She was named the BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player and the NCAA Fort Worth Regional 1 Most Outstanding Player. She earned First Team All-America honors from the WBCA, AP and USBWA.
UConn All-Time CSC Academic All-Americans
Leigh Curl, 1985, First Team
Leigh Curl, 1985, First Team
Wendy Davis, 1992, Second Team
Rebecca Lobo, 1994, First Team
Rebecca Lobo, 1995, First Team
Jennifer Rizzotti, 1995, Second Team
Jennifer Rizzotti, 1996, First Team
Ann Strother, 2006, Third Team
Maya Moore, 2009, First Team
Maya Moore, 2010, First Team
Maya Moore, 2011, First Team
Breanna Stewart, 2015, Second Team
Kia Nurse, 2017, Third Team
Kia Nurse, 2018, Third Team
Paige Bueckers, 2024, First Team
Azzi Fudd, 2026, First Team
Sarah Strong, 2026, First Team
