SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Gonzaga's Yvonne Ejim was voted the West Coast Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year. Ejim, who has been named to the watch lists for five national awards, is one of only five active players in Division I with 2,000 career points and 1,000 rebounds.
 
Gonzaga head coach Lisa Fortier was voted the West Coast Conference Coach of the Year, capturing the award for the third consecutive year and seventh time overall. Gonzaga guard Allie Turner was tabbed West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year. Turner and Ejim were named to the All-WCC First Team and Maud Huijbens was given All-WCC Honorable Mention honors. Turner was also tabbed to the All-Freshman Team.
 
All six major individual awards, along with the All-Conference teams and the All-Freshman Team, were voted on solely by the league's 11 head coaches.
 
In her 11th season leading Gonzaga, Fortier directed the Bulldogs to a share of the West Coast Conference regular season crown. It is GU's third consecutive conference regular season title. After opening the conference slate 1-2, Gonzaga won 14 consecutive games and 16 of its final 17 games to finish the WCC schedule 17-3. With Gonzaga's win over Santa Clara in the regular season finale, Fortier tied Jim Sollars (Portland, 1986-2014) for second on the West Coast Conference all-time coaching wins list with 171 career conference victories. Her seventh West Coast Conference Coach of the Year award is the second-most in conference history, one shy of former Gonzaga head coach Kelly Graves.
 
Ejim was voted the Player and Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row after another standout regular season where she led the West Coast Conference in points (642), points per game (20.7), rebounds (270), rebounds per game (8.7), field goals (244), and double-doubles (11). She was also second in the conference in field goal percentage (.527) and free throws made (143), and eighth in the league in blocks per game (1.0). Ejim ranks ninth nationally in points and 15th in the country in points per game. Ejim ranks second in West Coast Conference history in career scoring in all games (2,301) and conference games (1,223). She also ranks fifth in WCC history (all games) with 1,085 career rebounds. Ejim is the first Gonzaga player to win back-to-back WCC Defensive Player of the Year. She is also the first player to win WCC Player of the Year back-to-back since Courtney Vandersloot. 
 
Ejim is a semifinalist for the Becky Hammon Player of the Year award and on the Top 10 watch list for the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year award. She is on the Top 20 watch list for the John R. Wooden Award and on the midseason watch lists for the Naismith and USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale awards.
 
Turner leads all freshmen and ranks eighth overall in three-point field goals made nationally with 91. She ranks seventh nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.453). The freshman was the WCC leader in both categories during the regular season. Turner, who started 28 of Gonzaga's 31 games, averaged 12.7 points per game during conference play. Turner is the first freshman to be given All-WCC First Team honors and given WCC Freshman of the Year since Vandersloot.
 
WEST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL MAJOR AWARDS AND ALL- CONFERENCE TEAMS
 
2024-25 West Coast Conference Major Awards
Coach of the Year – Lisa Fortier, Gonzaga
Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Defensive Player of the Year – Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Freshman of the Year – Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Newcomer of the Year – Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Sixth Woman of the Year – Emily Foy, Saint Mary's
 
All-Conference First Team
Maisie Burnham, Portland
Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
Alexis Mark, Portland
Aj Marotte, Oregon State
Olivia Pollerd, Santa Clara
Kelsey Rees, Oregon State
Emme Shearer, Portland
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Tara Wallack, Washington State
Freja Werth, San Francisco
 
All-Conference Second Team
Naudia Evans, LMU
Anaya James, Pacific
Liz Smith, Pacific
Emma Trawally Porta, San Francisco
Eleonora Villa, Washington State

All-Conference Honorable Mention
Zeryhia Aokuso, Saint Mary's
Elizabeth Elliott, Pacific
Kylie Horstmeyer, San Diego
Maud Huijbens, Gonzaga
Kennedy Johnson, Saint Mary's
Maia Jones, Saint Mary's
Truitt Reilly, San Diego
Astera Tuhina, Washington State
 
All-Freshman Team
Charlotte Abraham, Washington State
Dayana Mendes, Washington State
Chloe Sotell, Pepperdine
Allie Turner, Gonzaga
Angeliki Ziaka, San Francisco