SIUE Women’s Basketball Recognized with Four OVC Preseason Honors
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The Ohio Valley Conference released its 2026-27 Women's Basketball Players to Watch and Returning All-OVC members Wednesday, with four SIUE athletes earning preseason recognition.
Sophomore standouts Kiyoko Proctor and Lauren Miller were named SIUE's Returning All-OVC selections after impressive freshman campaigns that resulted in both players earning All-OVC Second Team honors.
Proctor returns after a historic season in which she became the first player in program history to earn Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year honors. The rising sophomore guard led the Cougars in scoring, recording 13.4 points per game.
Miller also made an immediate impact during her freshman season. She became the first player in program history to earn OVC Freshman of the Week honors five times in a single season and finished the year leading the team in both assists (83) and minutes played (947).
Another Cougar earning OVC preseason recognition is senior Ava Gugliuzza, who was selected as one of the two SIUE "Players to Watch". Entering her fourth season as a Cougar, Gugliuzza brings valuable experience having appeared in 81 career games and earning 20 starts, 11 of which came during her junior year.
SIUE's other "Player to Watch" selection, Adriana Blazquez, enters her second year with the program after transferring in from Murray State prior to the 2025-26 season. In her first year with the Cougars, Blazquez appeared in all 32 games and made five starts, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per contest.
Proctor, Miller, Gugliazza, and Blazquez will look to lead the Cougars through the 2026-27 season as SIUE aims to build on the momentum of last season's campaign.
