# Vanderbilt Star Mikayla Blakes Named to 2026-27 Wade Trophy Watch List After Record Breaking Season

- Link: https://exclusiveaccess.net/vanderbilt-star-mikayla-blakes-named-to-2026-27-wade-trophy-watch-list-after-record-breaking-season/
- Published: 2026-11-04T13:30:08-05:00
- Author: Carlos Partee

**NASHVILLE, TN** – [Vanderbilt women’s basketball](https://vucommodores.com/sports/wbball)
standout [**Mikayla Blakes** ](https://vucommodores.com/sports/wbball/roster/player/mikayla-blakes)
continues to establish herself among the nation’s elite players. The junior guard
has been named to the **2026-27 Wade Trophy Watch List** by the Women’s Basketball
Coaches Association (WBCA), earning recognition as one of 15 preseason candidates
for one of college basketball’s most prestigious individual honors.

The selection marks Blakes’ second consecutive appearance on the Wade Watch List
after finishing as a finalist for the award last season. She also enters the new
campaign on the Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List and the Ann Meyers
Drysdale Shooting Guard of the Year preseason watch list, an award she captured 
in 2025-26.

Blakes wasted little time reminding the college basketball world why she belongs
in the national spotlight. In Vanderbilt’s commanding **112-53 season-opening victory
over Lipscomb**, she delivered an impressive all-around performance with 27 points,
nine rebounds and six assists. It marked the eighth time in her collegiate career
that she recorded at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists in a single
game.

The reigning SEC Player of the Year is coming off a historic sophomore campaign 
that rewrote the conference record books. Blakes scored **918 points during the 
2025-26 season**, establishing both the SEC single-season scoring record and the
NCAA sophomore scoring record. She averaged a remarkable 30.5 points per game in
conference play and scored at least 30 points in 12 SEC contests, becoming the first
player in the conference this century to accomplish that feat.

Now entering her junior season, Blakes remains a centerpiece of a nationally ranked
Vanderbilt program with high expectations. Her combination of explosive scoring,
playmaking and rebounding has made her one of the most exciting players to watch
in women’s college basketball.

Celebrating its 50th year, the Wade Trophy honors the nation’s top NCAA Division
I women’s basketball player. Named after legendary Delta State coach Lily Margaret
Wade, the award recognizes excellence at the highest level of the women’s college
game. The WBCA will continue evaluating candidates throughout the season before 
announcing the winner in April.

With another major national honor potentially within reach, Blakes has an opportunity
to add to an already impressive résumé while helping lead Vanderbilt through another
highly anticipated season.

The No. 8/9-ranked Commodores return to action tonight against Queens, with tipoff
scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The matchup will stream on SEC Network+.