A preseason poll predicted junior center Rebekah VanDijk of the women’s basketball team to win the 2016-17 Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year.
VanDijk also made Preseason All-Conference First Team for the second consecutive year, averaging 12.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for the 2015-16 season. She started in all but one game.
She was second in the conference in rebounding and 11th in scoring. VanDijk is the fifth player in UTA women’s basketball history to record over 100 career blocks and achieve 25 double-doubles as a Maverick.
Junior guard Cierra Johnson was named to the second team.