ELON, N.C. – The Elon University women's basketball team had two players win multiple awards when the CAA announced its postseason awards Wednesday. Freshman sensation
Jayda Angel won Rookie of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year, and redshirt sophomore guard
Raven Preston won Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named to the All-CAA second team.
Preston, the first player in program history to win CAA Rookie of the Year in 2023, saw the potential early in Angel.
"We talked about it at the beginning of the year and I told her she was going to win Rookie of the Year," Preston said. "Coach Smith assigned little and big sisters, and she was my little sister. So just constantly throughout the year, pouring confidence into her. Telling her not to get down on herself, keeping her head up and staying humble in the path she's on."
Angel's uncanny ball-handling and playmaking ability was well recognized by the CAA. She also claimed Sixth Player of the Year, averaging 25.1 minutes a game off the bench with 10.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 steals. She ranked among league leaders in steals, with 46 total. The freshman's talent is an exciting prospect for the Phoenix moving forward.
"She's going to be great in the next coming years," Preston said. "I'm excited to see what she can accomplish."
As for Preston, the accomplishments came on and off the court. While she wasn't dominating the hardwood, Preston maintained a 3.85 GPA as an exercise science major. On the court, she excelled all over. After missing a full year due to injury, Preston came back with an improved shooting touch. She sank more threes on a better percentage to her freshman year, with her 22 total on the year highlighted by her five three-point performance on Senior Day in Elon's 70-69 victory over NC A&T.
Around the basket, Preston notched eight double-doubles. Her single game rebound performances of 19, 15 and 14 twice that she collected throughout the season are tied for first, fourth and fifth highest in a single game in conference. She tied her single game career-high in points on Senior Day with 31, one of eight games with 15 points or more. She led the team averaging 12.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game with 47 total steals.
Preston, playing the best basketball of her career, leads a strong Elon team to the 2025 CAA Championship. Accompanied by Angel and an impressive cast of surrounding players, the No. 6 Phoenix looks to win the conference championship, with the first game Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C. against No. 11 Towson
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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