University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Two Lady Eagles Named to Preseason All-Conference Teams, Southern Miss Picked Fifth
10/20/2025 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS – Jakayla Johnson and Meloney Thames were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First and Third Team, respectively, while Southern Miss was predicted to finish fifth in the 2025-26 standings the league announced today.
"The Sun Belt Conference is an extremely tough league with great coaches and great players," said first-year Lady Eagle head coach Missy Bilderback. "To have two of our players represented on the preseason teams is exciting, as is the coaches' decision to pick us fifth in the conference standings. Jakayla and Meloney are outstanding players on our team and will definitely play a key role in achieving our goals this season."
Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) earned First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors at the end of last season after finishing third in the league's scoring charts with 15.8 points per game. She started in all 30 games of the 2024-25 campaign for Bilderback at ULM, recording 25 games with double-figures and nine of 20-plus. Johnson is the Sun Belt Conference's active leader in points per game (15.69) in games played as member of the Sun Belt Conference thanks to her 1,020 points at ULM over 65 games. The 2025-26 preseason honor is her second career Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team selection after earning a spot on the 2024-25 preseason listings.
Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) started in 29 games last season at ULM, finishing ninth in the Sun Belt with 13.1 points per game. In her first full season at the Division I level, she reached double-figures in 16 games and charted at least 20 points in six contests. Her 56 three-point baskets led the Warhawks last season and were six-most in the conference. Her 208 attempts beyond the arc ranked 65th in Division I and fifth in the Sun Belt. The honor is Thames' first career preseason conference honor, though she did earn All-MACCC First Team, All-NJCAA Region 23 and NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors in each season at Jones College.
The head coaches of the Sun Belt Conference named James Madison's Peyton McDaniel as the Preseason Player of the Year and selected the Dukes as the preseason favorites with nine out of 14 votes. Troy led the way with three selections (Zay Dyer, Rachel Leggett and Ashley Baez) while Arkansas State (Crislyn Rose and Zyion Shannon), James Madison (McDaniel and Ashanti Barnes), Old Dominion (En'Dya Buford and Simone Cunningham) and Southern Miss each had two selections.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
En'Dya Buford, Old Dominion [Gr. | G | Memphis, Tenn.]
Zay Dyer, Troy [Sr. | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Clinton, Miss.]
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State [Jr. | G | Sachse, Texas]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison [Gr. | F | Norfolk, Va.]
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State [Jr. | G | Marietta, Ga.]
Rachel Leggett, Troy [Sr. | G | Navarre, Fla.]
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State [Sr. | G | Smyrna, Tenn.]
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina [Gr. | G | San Diego, Calif.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Ashley Baez, Troy [Sr. | G | Dominican Republic]
Simone Cunningham, Old Dominion [Sr. | G | Pleasant Grove, Ala.]
Meredith Maier, Marshall [Sr. | F | Fairmont, W.Va.]
Elena Pericic, App State [Sr. | F | Rijeka, Croatia]
Meloney Thames, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Philadelphia, Miss.]
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. James Madison (9) – 189
2. Arkansas State (3) – 174
3. Troy (1) – 171
4. Old Dominion (1) – 151
5. Southern Miss – 125
6. Coastal Carolina – 104
7. Georgia State – 102
8. Marshall – 100
9. App State – 94
10. Georgia Southern – 73
11. Louisiana – 67
12. Texas State – 55
13. ULM – 36
14. South Alabama – 29
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
Support Southern Miss Women's Basketball
Support Southern Miss women's basketball by purchasing your season tickets today! Fans can secure seats at all 15 Lady Eagle home games this season for just $75. Visit smttt.info/WBBTix today to purchase your seats.
"The Sun Belt Conference is an extremely tough league with great coaches and great players," said first-year Lady Eagle head coach Missy Bilderback. "To have two of our players represented on the preseason teams is exciting, as is the coaches' decision to pick us fifth in the conference standings. Jakayla and Meloney are outstanding players on our team and will definitely play a key role in achieving our goals this season."
Johnson (Clinton, Miss.) earned First Team All-Sun Belt Conference honors at the end of last season after finishing third in the league's scoring charts with 15.8 points per game. She started in all 30 games of the 2024-25 campaign for Bilderback at ULM, recording 25 games with double-figures and nine of 20-plus. Johnson is the Sun Belt Conference's active leader in points per game (15.69) in games played as member of the Sun Belt Conference thanks to her 1,020 points at ULM over 65 games. The 2025-26 preseason honor is her second career Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team selection after earning a spot on the 2024-25 preseason listings.
Thames (Philadelphia, Miss.) started in 29 games last season at ULM, finishing ninth in the Sun Belt with 13.1 points per game. In her first full season at the Division I level, she reached double-figures in 16 games and charted at least 20 points in six contests. Her 56 three-point baskets led the Warhawks last season and were six-most in the conference. Her 208 attempts beyond the arc ranked 65th in Division I and fifth in the Sun Belt. The honor is Thames' first career preseason conference honor, though she did earn All-MACCC First Team, All-NJCAA Region 23 and NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American honors in each season at Jones College.
The head coaches of the Sun Belt Conference named James Madison's Peyton McDaniel as the Preseason Player of the Year and selected the Dukes as the preseason favorites with nine out of 14 votes. Troy led the way with three selections (Zay Dyer, Rachel Leggett and Ashley Baez) while Arkansas State (Crislyn Rose and Zyion Shannon), James Madison (McDaniel and Ashanti Barnes), Old Dominion (En'Dya Buford and Simone Cunningham) and Southern Miss each had two selections.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
En'Dya Buford, Old Dominion [Gr. | G | Memphis, Tenn.]
Zay Dyer, Troy [Sr. | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Clinton, Miss.]
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State [Jr. | G | Sachse, Texas]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison [Gr. | F | Norfolk, Va.]
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State [Jr. | G | Marietta, Ga.]
Rachel Leggett, Troy [Sr. | G | Navarre, Fla.]
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State [Sr. | G | Smyrna, Tenn.]
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina [Gr. | G | San Diego, Calif.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Ashley Baez, Troy [Sr. | G | Dominican Republic]
Simone Cunningham, Old Dominion [Sr. | G | Pleasant Grove, Ala.]
Meredith Maier, Marshall [Sr. | F | Fairmont, W.Va.]
Elena Pericic, App State [Sr. | F | Rijeka, Croatia]
Meloney Thames, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Philadelphia, Miss.]
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. James Madison (9) – 189
2. Arkansas State (3) – 174
3. Troy (1) – 171
4. Old Dominion (1) – 151
5. Southern Miss – 125
6. Coastal Carolina – 104
7. Georgia State – 102
8. Marshall – 100
9. App State – 94
10. Georgia Southern – 73
11. Louisiana – 67
12. Texas State – 55
13. ULM – 36
14. South Alabama – 29
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
Support Southern Miss Women's Basketball
Support Southern Miss women's basketball by purchasing your season tickets today! Fans can secure seats at all 15 Lady Eagle home games this season for just $75. Visit smttt.info/WBBTix today to purchase your seats.
Follow The Lady Eagles
Follow the Lady Eagles on Twitter (@SouthernMissWBB), Instagram (@southernmisswbb) or on Facebook (/SouthernMissWBB) to stay up-to-date on Southern Miss women's basketball. Fans can visit Southern Miss.com or download the Southern Miss GameDay app to see full schedules, releases and more.
– #ELEVATE | #SMTTT
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWomen's Basketball Postgame Press Conference - Jan. 22 vs. Marshall
Friday, January 23
Women's Basketball Condensed Game - 1/1/2026 vs. Troy
Saturday, January 03
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference - Jan. 3 vs. Troy
Saturday, January 03
Game Highlights - Southern Miss vs. UAB
Monday, December 08