Ahead of the 2025 Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship, the Coastal Athletic Association has announced its postseason awards for the 2024-25 season.
Voting was conducted in a poll of the CAA’s 14 head coaches following the conclusion of the regular season. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. Recipients will be recognized at their respective games at the Credit Union 1 CAA Women’s Basketball Championship, beginning on March 12 at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C.
For the time in its program’s history, a Charleston player has been named CAA Player of the Year as Taryn Barbot took home the honor. Tabbed the CAA Preseason Player of the Year, the sophomore guard lived up to expectations, ranking second in the conference with 16.6 points per game. Barbot was a volume scoere all-season long, posting nine games with 20+ points with four of them being 30+ point-games. Last season’s CAA Rookie of the Year also earned a spot on the All-CAA Defensive Team and All-CAA First Team.
UNCW’s Ali Zelaya was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year after a season which saw her rank amongst the nation’s best in blocks and rebounding. Swatting away 79 shots this season, the forward ranked ninth in the nation at 2.55 tallies per game, while she hauled in 9.2 rebounds to sit first in the conference and 51st in the country. Offensively, Zelaya posted a team-high 12.4 points per game contributing to her spot on the All-CAA First Team.
Elon’s Jayda Angel balled out in her first collegiate season, garnering CAA Rookie of the Year honors. The first-year Phoenix guard was the second highest scorer on her team, averaging 10.0 points per game alongside 4.0 rebounds. The North Carolina native took home CAA Rookie of the Week accolades an impressive five times, the most amongst any freshman in the conference this season.
Angel was also voted as the CAA Sixth Player of the Year, providing the biggest spark off the bench in the conference this year. She scored double digits in 13 of her contests, while ranking amongst the league’s leaders with 46 steals.
Rewarded for her work in the classroom and on the court, Elon’s Raven Preston was honored as the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A member of the All-CAA Second Team, the Phoenix guard led her team with 12.2 points per game and grabbed a team-high 8.5 rebounds per contest. Off the court, the exercise science major posted an impressive 3.84 grade point average.
Stony Brook’s Shamarla King was named the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award recipient, granted to a student athlete who embodies the highest standards of leadership, integrity and sportsmanship in conjunction with her academic and athletic achievement. Captaining the Seawolves this season, King averaged nine points and seven rebounds per game while being a member of the Stony Brook SAAC Group. The graduate student guard is currently working on an advanced certificate in higher education after earning her degree in mass communications.
North Carolina A&T’s Tarrell Robinson was voted by his peers as the CAA Coach of the Year after leading his program to a CAA Regular Season Title for the first time since joining the conference three years ago. Under Robinson, the Aggies posted a 19-10 record overall, and were 15-3 in conference play. A&Twas ranked in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for a majority of the season.
Along with the major awards, the CAA announced its all-conference, all-defensive and all-rookie teams.
- Player of the Year: Taryn Barbot (Charleston)
- Defensive Player of the Year: Ali Zelaya (UNCW)
- Sixth Player of the Year: Jayda Angel (Elon)
- Rookie of the Year: Jayda Angel (Elon)
- Dean Ahlers Leadership Award: Shamarla King (Stony Brook)
- Scholar Athlete of the Year: Raven Preston (Elon)
- Coach of the Year: Tarrell Robinson (N.C. A&T)
