WBB | Johnson and Foy Take Home WCC Awards for Saint Mary’s
3/4/2025 10:56:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. - Ahead of the 2025 Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship, Saint Mary's will bring with them some hardware after Kennedy Johnson was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year and Emily Foy this year's Sixth Woman of the Year, their first conference awards of their collegiate careers. This is the first time since 2010 the Gaels took home two major awards, that season Louella Tomlinson won both WCC Player and Defender of the Year.
#21 Kennedy Johnson | Sr. | G | Hayward, Calif. | Newcomer of the Year
Kennedy Johnson nearly matched her numbers from her First Team All-Conference season at Idaho last year, finishing this season with 12 points and nearly six boards per game. Johnson did it all for the Gaels as a plus defender and a dominant scorer inside. She led the team with 55 steals and was second with 14 blocks.
Johnson recorded a season high 25 points in the team's conference opener against Santa Clara, just one point shy of her career high. She then recorded a career high 12 rebounds later in the season in the team's rematch against Santa Clara and also her lone double-double of the year, adding 14 points. Her other career high came in a narrow defeat to league champions Gonzaga where she recorded five steals. Johnson finished the season with 16 multi-steal games.
Johnson was named to the All-WCC Honorable Mention list for her second all-conference selection of her career and earned her first conference award as WCC Newcomer of the Year.
#8 Emily Foy | So. | G | Newcastle, Australia | Sixth Woman of the Year
Emily Foy made quite the jump in her sophomore season to earn Sixth Woman of the Year, her first career conference award. Foy was the team's best perimeter shooter on the season, making a team high 43 three's at 37%. She was a consistent scoring threat off the bench for the Gaels and helped spark numerous late game comebacks throughout the season.
Foy recorded a career high 18 points in the team's 20-point win over Pacific where she was 7-for-12 from the field and drilled four three pointers. Foy had a team high eleven games with multiple three-pointers made and four games with four three's made. She finished the regular season averaging eight points and three rebounds while shooting 43% from the field.
#9 Maia Jones | So. | G | Tasman, New Zealand | HM
On any given night, Maia Jones can stand as one of the best individual scorers in the WCC. Jones led the Gaels in scoring, averaging 12.1 points while shooting 46% from the field. Jones led the team with five 20-point games this season and was just three points shy of her career high, scoring 28 points in a thrilling overtime win against UC San Diego at the beginning of the year.
Jones also upped her game in other categories, recording new career highs in rebounding (9) and assists (8). At her best, Jones is a three-level scorer who can splash the three but also has terrific individual skill to take defenders off the dribble and finish inside. Jones will enter the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship in great form after scoring a team high 27 points, including 17 in the third quarter, to help pull off the team's 20-point comeback win over Oregon State. She then scored 14 points in the team's regular season finale against LMU to bump her scoring average to over 12 points per game.
Jones was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2024 and now earns her second all-conference selection as a part of the 2025 Honorable Mention list.
#24 Zeryhia Aokuso | G | Amarillo, Texas | HM
After returning from injury earlier in the season, Aokuso returned to the starting lineup and made her impact felt immediately. When healthy, Aokuso is one of the most talented guards in the league, averaging nine points, three boards and nearly four assists per game. Despite missing the first four games of the season, Aokuso has stormed back to lead the team with 87 assists for 13th most in the conference.
Aokuso showed flashes from her Freshman of the Year campaign, recording five games with 15+ points including a season high 21 points in the team's ten-point win over San Diego. She also matched her career high with seven boards in a win over Pepperdine and set a new career high with 12 assists in a five-point home win over LMU. Aokuso is also a tremendous passer and facilitator and when the turnovers are down and assists are up, the Gaels offense is at their best.
Aokuso was named the WCC Freshman of the Year in 2024 and was named to this year's Honorable Mention list for her second career all-conference selection.
The full 2024-25 WCC awards and selections can be found below:
2024-25 West Coast Conference Major Awards
Coach of the Year – Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Freshman of the Year – Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Newcomer of the Year – Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Sixth Woman of the Year – Emily Foy, Saint Mary's
All-Conference First Team
Maisie Burnham, Portland
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Alexis Mark, Portland
Aj Marotte, Oregon State
Olivia Pollerd, Santa Clara
Kelsey Rees, Oregon State
Emme Shearer, Portland
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Tara Wallack, Washington State
Freja Werth, San Francisco
All-Conference Second Team
Naudia Evans, LMU
Anaya James, Pacific
Liz Smith, Pacific
Emma Trawally Porta, San Francisco
Eleonora Villa, Washington State
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Zeryhia Aokuso, Saint Mary's
Elizabeth Elliott, Pacific
Kylie Horstmeyer, San Diego
Maud Huijbens, Gonzaga
Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Maia Jones, Saint Mary's
Truitt Reilly, San Diego
Astera Tuhina, Washington State
All-Freshman Team
Charlotte Abraham, Washington State
Dayana Mendes, Washington State
Chloe Sotell, Pepperdine
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Angeliki Ziaka, San Francisco
Saint Mary's enters the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship as the sixth seed and will play in the third round of the tournament on Saturday, March 8th. The full tournament bracket and additional media information can be found at wccsports.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
#21 Kennedy Johnson | Sr. | G | Hayward, Calif. | Newcomer of the Year
Kennedy Johnson nearly matched her numbers from her First Team All-Conference season at Idaho last year, finishing this season with 12 points and nearly six boards per game. Johnson did it all for the Gaels as a plus defender and a dominant scorer inside. She led the team with 55 steals and was second with 14 blocks.
Johnson recorded a season high 25 points in the team's conference opener against Santa Clara, just one point shy of her career high. She then recorded a career high 12 rebounds later in the season in the team's rematch against Santa Clara and also her lone double-double of the year, adding 14 points. Her other career high came in a narrow defeat to league champions Gonzaga where she recorded five steals. Johnson finished the season with 16 multi-steal games.
Johnson was named to the All-WCC Honorable Mention list for her second all-conference selection of her career and earned her first conference award as WCC Newcomer of the Year.
#8 Emily Foy | So. | G | Newcastle, Australia | Sixth Woman of the Year
Emily Foy made quite the jump in her sophomore season to earn Sixth Woman of the Year, her first career conference award. Foy was the team's best perimeter shooter on the season, making a team high 43 three's at 37%. She was a consistent scoring threat off the bench for the Gaels and helped spark numerous late game comebacks throughout the season.
Foy recorded a career high 18 points in the team's 20-point win over Pacific where she was 7-for-12 from the field and drilled four three pointers. Foy had a team high eleven games with multiple three-pointers made and four games with four three's made. She finished the regular season averaging eight points and three rebounds while shooting 43% from the field.
#9 Maia Jones | So. | G | Tasman, New Zealand | HM
On any given night, Maia Jones can stand as one of the best individual scorers in the WCC. Jones led the Gaels in scoring, averaging 12.1 points while shooting 46% from the field. Jones led the team with five 20-point games this season and was just three points shy of her career high, scoring 28 points in a thrilling overtime win against UC San Diego at the beginning of the year.
Jones also upped her game in other categories, recording new career highs in rebounding (9) and assists (8). At her best, Jones is a three-level scorer who can splash the three but also has terrific individual skill to take defenders off the dribble and finish inside. Jones will enter the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship in great form after scoring a team high 27 points, including 17 in the third quarter, to help pull off the team's 20-point comeback win over Oregon State. She then scored 14 points in the team's regular season finale against LMU to bump her scoring average to over 12 points per game.
Jones was named to the WCC All-Freshman Team in 2024 and now earns her second all-conference selection as a part of the 2025 Honorable Mention list.
#24 Zeryhia Aokuso | G | Amarillo, Texas | HM
After returning from injury earlier in the season, Aokuso returned to the starting lineup and made her impact felt immediately. When healthy, Aokuso is one of the most talented guards in the league, averaging nine points, three boards and nearly four assists per game. Despite missing the first four games of the season, Aokuso has stormed back to lead the team with 87 assists for 13th most in the conference.
Aokuso showed flashes from her Freshman of the Year campaign, recording five games with 15+ points including a season high 21 points in the team's ten-point win over San Diego. She also matched her career high with seven boards in a win over Pepperdine and set a new career high with 12 assists in a five-point home win over LMU. Aokuso is also a tremendous passer and facilitator and when the turnovers are down and assists are up, the Gaels offense is at their best.
Aokuso was named the WCC Freshman of the Year in 2024 and was named to this year's Honorable Mention list for her second career all-conference selection.
The full 2024-25 WCC awards and selections can be found below:
2024-25 West Coast Conference Major Awards
Coach of the Year – Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Freshman of the Year – Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Newcomer of the Year – Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Sixth Woman of the Year – Emily Foy, Saint Mary's
All-Conference First Team
Maisie Burnham, Portland
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Alexis Mark, Portland
Aj Marotte, Oregon State
Olivia Pollerd, Santa Clara
Kelsey Rees, Oregon State
Emme Shearer, Portland
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Tara Wallack, Washington State
Freja Werth, San Francisco
All-Conference Second Team
Naudia Evans, LMU
Anaya James, Pacific
Liz Smith, Pacific
Emma Trawally Porta, San Francisco
Eleonora Villa, Washington State
All-Conference Honorable Mention
Zeryhia Aokuso, Saint Mary's
Elizabeth Elliott, Pacific
Kylie Horstmeyer, San Diego
Maud Huijbens, Gonzaga
Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Maia Jones, Saint Mary's
Truitt Reilly, San Diego
Astera Tuhina, Washington State
All-Freshman Team
Charlotte Abraham, Washington State
Dayana Mendes, Washington State
Chloe Sotell, Pepperdine
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Angeliki Ziaka, San Francisco
Saint Mary's enters the Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship as the sixth seed and will play in the third round of the tournament on Saturday, March 8th. The full tournament bracket and additional media information can be found at wccsports.com.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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