Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Josh Wang
10/28/2026 10:50:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Becky Hammon Award recognizes the best mid-major player in women’s college basketball
HOPEWELL, N.J. – For the second year in a row, Columbia women's basketball senior guard Riley Weiss has been named to the watch list for the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award presented by Her Hoop Stats. The 2027 award's 25-player preseason watch list was announced on Wednesday.
First given out in 2020, the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award recognizes the best mid-major player in Women's Division I college basketball. It is named for six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon.
Weiss is coming off a season in which she scored a program-record 662 points (20.1 points per game) and led the Ivy League in scoring, total points, field goals made (238), and 3-pointers made (93). She became just the fourth player in Columbia history to average at least 20 points per game in a season while setting school records for single-season points and total field goals. With 232 career triples, Weiss continues her ascent up the Ivy League all-time charts after back-to-back seasons hitting over 90 shots from beyond the arc. She was named the 2025-26 Ivy League Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection, and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division I Player of the Year, while leading Columbia to a 2026 WBIT Championship.
Entering the 2026-27 season, Weiss has accumulated 1,429 career points in three seasons, along with 125 assists and 105 steals. She averages 15.2 points per game across her career, shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 84.2 percent from the free throw line. Her 1,429 career points place her among the top scorers in program history as she enters her senior campaign.
The Lions begin the 2026-27 season at home on Monday, November 2, against Davidson. Tip-off fro Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on women's college basketball's opening day is slated for 11 a.m.
Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for this award, players must compete in a conference deemed to be "mid-major." The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Players competing in the re-formed Pac-12 are eligible.
The 15-player midseason watch list will be announced in January, followed by 10 semifinalists announced in February. The five finalists will be announced in early March, with the winner announced around the Final Four. The list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.
About Becky Hammon
Hammon was a three-time All-American at Colorado State and led the Rams to the Sweet 16 in 1999, the program's only appearance to date. She was signed by the New York Liberty in 1999 and traded to the San Antonio Stars in 2007, where she played the rest of her career. Hammon retired in 2014 as a six-time All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree. In 2016, she was named one of the top 20 players in WNBA history and was named to the W25 in 2021.
Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she began coaching for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Additionally, Hammon is the only woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer League and the only woman to be a member of an NBA All-Star coaching staff. Currently, Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and has won the 2022, 2023 and 2025 WNBA Championships.
2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List*
· Riley Weiss, Columbia, Sr., G
· Payton Hull, Abilene Christian, Sr., G
· Meredith Mayes, Abilene Christian, Sr., C
· Kya Smith, Army West Point, Sr., F
· Kendall Bennett, Binghamton, Sr., F
· Camryn Runner, Colorado St., Jr., G
· Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, Sr., RR
· Kaety L'Amoreaux, Fairfield, Gr., G
· Clare Coyle, Furman, Jr., F
· Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, Jr., F
· Karlee White, Harvard, Sr., G
· Amber Tretter, Miami (OH), Sr., F
· Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri St., Sr., G
· Taylee Chirrick, Montana St., Jr., G
· Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray St., Sr., F
· Haven Ford, Murray St., Sr., G
· Halli Poock, Murray St., Sr., G
· Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Sr., G
· Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Sr., F
· Fadima Tall, Princeton, Sr., G/F
· Gabby Casey, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G
· Sophie Glancey, Santa Clara, Gr., F
· Francesca Schiro, Siena, So., G
· Ava Renninger, Towson, Jr., G
· Mia Nicastro, Western Ill., Gr., F
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
First given out in 2020, the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award recognizes the best mid-major player in Women's Division I college basketball. It is named for six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon.
Weiss is coming off a season in which she scored a program-record 662 points (20.1 points per game) and led the Ivy League in scoring, total points, field goals made (238), and 3-pointers made (93). She became just the fourth player in Columbia history to average at least 20 points per game in a season while setting school records for single-season points and total field goals. With 232 career triples, Weiss continues her ascent up the Ivy League all-time charts after back-to-back seasons hitting over 90 shots from beyond the arc. She was named the 2025-26 Ivy League Player of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection, and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA) Division I Player of the Year, while leading Columbia to a 2026 WBIT Championship.
Entering the 2026-27 season, Weiss has accumulated 1,429 career points in three seasons, along with 125 assists and 105 steals. She averages 15.2 points per game across her career, shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 84.2 percent from the free throw line. Her 1,429 career points place her among the top scorers in program history as she enters her senior campaign.
The Lions begin the 2026-27 season at home on Monday, November 2, against Davidson. Tip-off fro Schiller Court at Levien Gymnasium on women's college basketball's opening day is slated for 11 a.m.
Award Eligibility & Schedule
To be eligible for this award, players must compete in a conference deemed to be "mid-major." The following conferences are considered high-major for the purposes of this award and thus ineligible: ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, and SEC. Players competing in the re-formed Pac-12 are eligible.
The 15-player midseason watch list will be announced in January, followed by 10 semifinalists announced in February. The five finalists will be announced in early March, with the winner announced around the Final Four. The list is fluid, and players may play their way on or off it over the course of the season.
About Becky Hammon
Hammon was a three-time All-American at Colorado State and led the Rams to the Sweet 16 in 1999, the program's only appearance to date. She was signed by the New York Liberty in 1999 and traded to the San Antonio Stars in 2007, where she played the rest of her career. Hammon retired in 2014 as a six-time All-Star and a two-time All-WNBA First Team honoree. In 2016, she was named one of the top 20 players in WNBA history and was named to the W25 in 2021.
Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she began coaching for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. Additionally, Hammon is the only woman to be a head coach in the NBA Summer League and the only woman to be a member of an NBA All-Star coaching staff. Currently, Hammon is the head coach of the Las Vegas Aces and has won the 2022, 2023 and 2025 WNBA Championships.
2026 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award Watch List*
· Riley Weiss, Columbia, Sr., G
· Payton Hull, Abilene Christian, Sr., G
· Meredith Mayes, Abilene Christian, Sr., C
· Kya Smith, Army West Point, Sr., F
· Kendall Bennett, Binghamton, Sr., F
· Camryn Runner, Colorado St., Jr., G
· Meghan Andersen, Fairfield, Sr., RR
· Kaety L'Amoreaux, Fairfield, Gr., G
· Clare Coyle, Furman, Jr., F
· Lauren Whittaker, Gonzaga, Jr., F
· Karlee White, Harvard, Sr., G
· Amber Tretter, Miami (OH), Sr., F
· Kaemyn Bekemeier, Missouri St., Sr., G
· Taylee Chirrick, Montana St., Jr., G
· Sharnecce Currie-Jelks, Murray St., Sr., F
· Haven Ford, Murray St., Sr., G
· Halli Poock, Murray St., Sr., G
· Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, Sr., G
· Avery Koenen, North Dakota St., Sr., F
· Fadima Tall, Princeton, Sr., G/F
· Gabby Casey, Saint Joseph's, Sr., G
· Sophie Glancey, Santa Clara, Gr., F
· Francesca Schiro, Siena, So., G
· Ava Renninger, Towson, Jr., G
· Mia Nicastro, Western Ill., Gr., F
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2025-26 season
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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