BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The ascent of the Navy women's basketball program up the ranks of the Patriot League was recognized on Friday with half of the conference's major year-end playing honors going to Midshipmen as Zanai Barnett-Gay was selected as the 2024-25 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year, while Julianna Almeida earned the 2024-25 Patriot League Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Barnett-Gay was chosen to the All-Patriot League First Team with Almeida and fellow freshman teammate Mary Gibbons garnering spots on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.

Barnett-Gay becomes just the sixth player in program history to earn the league's top defensive playing honor and is the first Navy recipient since Jennifer Coleman in 2021-22. Almeida is the seventh player in Navy history to be selected as the league's best rookie and backs up Barnett-Gay to give the program consecutive award winners. Prior to Barnett-Gay's rookie of the year nod in 2023-24, Jade Geif was the last Navy player to earn the honor back in 2010-11. 

Now a two-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree, Barnett-Gay has continued the standout start to her collegiate career this season with double-digit scoring efforts in 28 of 29 games and double-doubles in seven contests, including a stat-stuffing game against Lafayette on February 8 when she went for a season-high 29 points to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocked shots. She scored 20 or more points in 12 games this season. Named to the USBWA Player of the Year Midseason Watch List, Barnett-Gay became the 23rd player in Navy program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau as she did so on February 12 at Lehigh in just her 53rd career game. Already up to 20th place with 1,092 points, the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2023-24 has improved across the board in nearly every statistical category as she's averaging 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game this season, up from 18.2, 6.2 and 3.0 in 2023-24, respectively. Defensively, Barnett-Gay has recorded 69 steals and blocked 12 shots over 29 games so far. Among her fellow Patriot League peers, she ranks first in steals (2.4 per game), second in scoring, second in minutes played (34.8 per game), fourth in rebounding, fourth in free throw shooting (79.3 %) and eighth in assist.

Barnett-Gay is the first Navy player to be named to the All-Patriot League First Team in back-to-back seasons since Jade Geif in 2012-13 and 2013-14. All-time, only eight players have ever earned multiple All-Patriot League First Team honors: Adria Schneck ('94-95 and '96-97), Becky Dowling ('96-97 and '97-98), Laurie Coffey ('97-98 and '98-99), Erica Hayes ('98-99, '99-00), Courtney Davidson ('01-02, '02-03 and '03-04), Angela Myers ('09-10 and '10-11), Geif and now Barnett-Gay.

After a solid start to her collegiate career during the non-conference portion of the 2024-25 season, Almeida's trajectory up the Patriot League rookie ranks shot up once the schedule flipped to conference play. Becoming more of an offensive focal point, Almeida rattled off 11 double-digit scoring games during league play, including a stretch of seven straight and nine of ten between Jan. 18 and Feb. 22. That span correlated with her run of four Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors over five award announcements. During back-to-back games against Army on Feb. 15 and Colgate on Feb. 19, Almeida went for a season-high 25 points and five three-pointers versus the Black Knights and 21 points with nine rebounds against the Raiders. One game later on the road at Holy Cross on Feb. 22, she posted her first double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. In Patriot League-only play, Almeida averaged 11.2 points (tied for 15th in PL) and grabbed 5.1 rebounds (t-11th), while shooting 43.3 percent from three-point range (4th) in 32.6 minutes per game (11th).

Gibbons joins Almeida on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team as league coaches identified her as one of the most dangerous three-point threats and bench options in the conference. Appearing in all 29 games as a reserve guard, Gibbons nearly book-ended her season with Patriot League Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 18 (Week 2) and most recently on March 3 (Week 17). Her standout freshman campaign began with an 18-point outburst at Rider on Nov. 4 with four three-pointers and six assists against the Broncs and was quickly followed up with four more double-digit scoring performances by the end of the first month of play. Moving onto Patriot League action, Gibbons went back-to-back against American and Lafayette on Jan. 2 and Jan. 5 with 13-point showings. The sharp-shooter from beyond the arc entered herself in the program record book on Feb. 26 with a 7-8 effort from three-point range as part of a 23-point game versus American. The seven makes are tied for eighth-most in a single game by a Mid. For the year, Gibbons, averaged 7.5 points and 1.3 rebounds, while shooting 36.4 percent from three-point range and 80.6 percent from the foul line.

The duo of Almeida and Gibbons on the Patriot League All-Rookie Team repeats the feat from 2023-24 when Barnett-Gay and Kyah Smith were honored. Prior to that achievement, the last time two Mids made the All-Rookie Team was in 2000-01 when Courtney Davidson and Maile Shimoda were selected. This is the fifth time Navy has had a pair of all-rookie honorees. 

The Navy women's basketball team will continue its 2024-25 season with quarterfinal action in the Patriot League Tournament on Monday evening. Seeded fourth in the tournament, the Mids will host the Holy Cross Crusaders at Alumni Hall with a 6 p.m. scheduled tip-off.

2024-25 PenFed Credit Union Patriot League Women's Basketball Major Awards and All-League Teams
Player of the Year – Ashley Sofilkanich, Bucknell, So., F
Defensive Player of the Year – Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, So., G
Rookie of the Year – Julianna Almeida, Navy, Fr., G
Coach of the Year – Addie Micir, Lehigh

First-Team All-Patriot League Team
Trinty Hardy, Army West Point, Sr., G
Ashley Sofilkanich, Bucknell, So., F
Taylor Golembiewski, Colgate, Sr., G
Maddie Albrecht, Lehigh, 5th, F
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, So., G

Second-Team All-Patriot League Team
Reese Ericson, Army West Point, Jr., G
Alex Giannaros, Boston University, Sr., G
Lindsay Berger, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Kaitlyn Flanagan, Holy Cross, Jr., G
Ella Stemmer, Lehigh, Sr., G 

Third-Team All-Patriot League Team
Fiona Hastick, Army West Point, So., F
Morgan McMahon, Colgate, Sr., G
Anne Bair, Colgate, Jr., G
Abby Antognoli, Lafayette Sr., G
Laura Salmeron, Loyola Maryland, Sr., G

Patriot League All-Defensive Team
Trinity Hardy, Army West Point, Sr., G
Ashley Sofilkanich, Bucknell, So., F
Lindsay Berger, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Maddie Albrecht, Lehigh, 5th, F
Zanai Barnett-Gay, Navy, So., G

Patriot League All-Rookie Team*
Cecilia Kay, American, Fr., F
Allison Schwertner, Boston University, Fr., F
Reese Zemitis, Bucknell, Fr., G
Talia Zurinskas, Lafayette Fr., G
Belle Bramer, Lehigh, Fy., F
Julianna Almeida, Navy, Fr., G
Mary Gibbons, Navy, Fr., G
*Seven-member rookie team due to tie in voting