Two UConn Stars Earn AP All-America First Team
- The UConn Huskies have two AP All-America First Teamers this season, and they're are just getting started in March.
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UConn Huskies women's basketball is walking into the 2026 NCAA Tournament undefeated, with a Big East title and the No. 1 overall seed already in hand. Before March Madness tips off, two of their own just got some recognition that was a long time coming.
The UConn Women's Basketball team announced on their official X account that Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong were both named to the AP All-America First Team.
more All-America honors for these two 🌟
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 18, 2026
Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong are AP First Teamers! pic.twitter.com/8s3aSF4ydD
A day earlier, they had earned the same honor from the USBWA, making it a clean sweep. With the Huskies already entering as the favorites in the women's tournament, this felt like the right cherry on top.
What makes it special is the history. Fudd and Strong are the first teammates to share the AP First Team since Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu and Ruthy Hebard did it in 2020. Inside Storrs, it had not happened since Napheesa Collier and Katie Lou Samuelson back in 2017.
Start with Fudd. These are the first All-America honors of Fudd's career at the national level, coming first from the USBWA and now the AP.
She has fought through injuries and setbacks across five years to get here. This season, she is averaging 17.7 points per game while shooting 44.6% from three and sitting second nationally in made three-pointers with 104.
Then there is Strong, who has basically been unstoppable all year. The sophomore forward is putting up 18.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game on 60.1% shooting. She won the ESPN National Player of the Year Award, and she leads the country in win shares, defensive win shares, and player efficiency rating.
Geno Auriemma Reacts to Fudd and Strong Earning AP All-America First Team
Coach Geno Auriemma shared what this meant for both players after the announcement.
"It's been a long time coming for Azzi. She's worked through so many hardships in her time at UConn, and it's great to see all her perseverance pay off," he said. "Sarah picked up where she left off last season and has been so consistently good and reliable for us. I'm happy for them individually, but I know it means a lot for them to get this accomplishment together as well."
The rest of the AP First Team included Vanderbilt's Mikayla Blakes, UCLA's Lauren Betts, and Texas' Madison Booker. Blakes led the country in scoring at 27 points per game and was one of the few players in the same conversation as Strong this season.
UConn opens its tournament run against a 16-seed UTSA.
Fudd plays her final college games over the next few weeks before the WNBA comes calling. Strong has years ahead of her. Together, they built a perfect season that even injuries could not derail, and that story is still not finished.
Jayesh Pagar is currently pursuing Sports Journalism from the London School of Journalism and brings four years of experience in sports media coverage. He has contributed extensively to NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football content.