Completed Event: Women's Basketball versus Oklahoma Christian (EXH) on October 29, 2025 , Win , 106, to, 41
Final
Women's Basketball
106
vs Oklahoma Christian (EXH)
41
University of Oklahoma Athletics
SEC-Leading Three Sooners Named to Naismith Trophy Watch List
October 30, 2025 | Women's Basketball
NORMAN – Three Sooners were named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Women's College Player of the Year Watch List presented by AXIA Time on Thursday, awarded annually to the nation's top player.
Raegan Beers, Aaliyah Chavez and Payton Verhulst each earned a spot on the 50-player list, making Oklahoma one of just five programs with at least three players recognized for the nation's top individual honor.
Beers, a preseason consensus All-America honoree, lands on the list for the second straight season as a Sooner. The rising senior averaged 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game as a junior while leading the SEC in player efficiency rating (35.9). An All-SEC first-team pick last year and preseason selection again this season, Beers will look to cement her legacy among great OU players in 2025-26.
Chavez, the top-ranked player in the 2025 class, is one of only two freshmen on the watch list, joining USC's Jazzy Davidson. The Lubbock, Texas, product swept every major national high school player of the year honor — Naismith, Gatorade, MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated — after averaging 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals while leading Monterey High School to a 5A Division II state title.
Verhulst makes her first appearance on the list following an all-conference season that saw her average 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 42% from the field and 35% from three. The De Soto, Kan., guard was one of just two players nationally to average at least 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in fewer than 30 minutes per game.
Oklahoma is one of five programs with at least three players on the watch list, joining LSU (3), South Carolina (3), UCLA (4) and UConn (3). The Sooners will face three of those teams during the regular season.
Oklahoma is yet to have a Naismith Trophy winner but has seen three players reach finalist status — LaNeisha Caufield and Stacey Dales in 2002 and Courtney Paris in four straight seasons from 2006–09.
Stay connected with Oklahoma Women's Basketball by following the Sooners on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Want to make an impact? Join the 3-Point Club and help power the program's continued success.
Raegan Beers, Aaliyah Chavez and Payton Verhulst each earned a spot on the 50-player list, making Oklahoma one of just five programs with at least three players recognized for the nation's top individual honor.
Beers, a preseason consensus All-America honoree, lands on the list for the second straight season as a Sooner. The rising senior averaged 17.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game as a junior while leading the SEC in player efficiency rating (35.9). An All-SEC first-team pick last year and preseason selection again this season, Beers will look to cement her legacy among great OU players in 2025-26.
Chavez, the top-ranked player in the 2025 class, is one of only two freshmen on the watch list, joining USC's Jazzy Davidson. The Lubbock, Texas, product swept every major national high school player of the year honor — Naismith, Gatorade, MaxPreps and Sports Illustrated — after averaging 34.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 steals while leading Monterey High School to a 5A Division II state title.
Verhulst makes her first appearance on the list following an all-conference season that saw her average 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists while shooting 42% from the field and 35% from three. The De Soto, Kan., guard was one of just two players nationally to average at least 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in fewer than 30 minutes per game.
Oklahoma is one of five programs with at least three players on the watch list, joining LSU (3), South Carolina (3), UCLA (4) and UConn (3). The Sooners will face three of those teams during the regular season.
Oklahoma is yet to have a Naismith Trophy winner but has seen three players reach finalist status — LaNeisha Caufield and Stacey Dales in 2002 and Courtney Paris in four straight seasons from 2006–09.
Stay connected with Oklahoma Women's Basketball by following the Sooners on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Want to make an impact? Join the 3-Point Club and help power the program's continued success.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballJennie Baranczyk Media Availability - 10/22/25
Wednesday, October 22
SEC Tipoff - Jennie Baranczyk, Payton Verhulst, Raegan Beers
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