Huber & Smith Reel in National Honors From WBCA

Huber named First Team All-American, Smith finalist for coach of the year

3/19/2025 10:00:00 AM

ATLANTA - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's basketball team saw two of its own recognized as the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced its first round of postseason accolades Wednesday, March 19. Senior Lauren Huber (Lombard, Ill.-Glenbard East) was voted to the WBCA Coaches' All-America team, while head coach Mia Smith was named a finalist for national coach of the year.

"We congratulate the members of the 2025 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches' All-America team," said Donehew. "These young women have worked to elevate their teams and themselves to an elite level of competition. Through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have also lifted the women's game."

Huber is the first Titan to garner First Team All-American honors from the WBCA since Kendall Sosa did so in 2021 after having been named honorable mention in previous seasons. The Lombard, Ill. native broke the program's all-time scoring record, a mark that had stood for nearly 30 years. She finished her career with exactly 1700 points, averaging 15.0 points per game this season. Huber is tied for second all-time with 884 career rebounds, pulling in 7.8 per contest this season.

Huber, who was named a WBCA All-Star earlier this week, was twice tabbed the CCIW's Player of the Week and garnered D3hoops Team of the Week honors once. She was a D3hoops.com Preseason All-America selection and was also a Allstate NACDA Good Works Team nominee. Huber scored in double digits in 26 of IWU's 30 games, notching six 20-point efforts and six double-doubles.

Smith led the Green and White to one of the best seasons in program history, as Illinois Wesleyan posted a 28-2 overall record and a 15-1 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin mark. The Titans, who were ranked top-five nationally consistently throughout the season, won the CCIW regular season and tournament championships. IWU made its first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2012 after beginning its season with a 20-game win streak.

Under Smith's mentorship, Illinois Wesleyan set a conference record with five All-CCIW selections. Huber, Mallory Powers, and Ava Bardic were first team selections, while Kate Palmer and Sawyer White were tabbed second team selections.

Smith will get one last opportunity to see Huber compete, as the senior is set to take part in the WBCA All-Star game Saturday, March 22, in Salem, Va. with her coach watching (and cheering) from the stands.

The WBCA NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, Player of the Year and Coaches' All-America team are selected by the WBCA NCAA Division III Awards Committee from coaches and student-athletes who are nominated by WBCA member coaches.

Visit WBCA.org/awards to see a list of past recipients of each award.

Coaches' All-America

Here are the 2025 WBCA NCAA Division III Coaches' All-Americans:

Name	Institution
Natalie Bruns	New York University
Kacie Carollo	University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Tova Gelb	Vassar College
Lauren Huber	Illinois Wesleyan University
Sydney Jones	Bowdoin College
Ally Landau	Smith College
Belle Pellecchia	New York University
Kasey Schipfer	Ohio Wesleyan University
Mary Schleusner	Washington & Lee University
Zoë Tomlinson	Colorado College

This year's finalists for WBCA NCAA Division III Coach of the Year were:

Name		School
Meg Barber	New York University
Lindsey Burke	Randolph-Macon College
Michelle Ferenz	Whitman College
Brad Fischer	University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Cheri Harrer	Baldwin Wallace University
Lynn Hersey	Smith College
Hannah Iverson	University of Wisconsin-Stout
Corinne Jones	State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport
Laurie Kelly	Gustavus Adolphus College
Veronica Nolt	Elizabethtown College
Megan Phelps	Bowdoin College
Mia Smith	Illinois Wesleyan University

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