Photo by: Columbia University Athletics / Brian Foley
Weiss Named to National Player of the Year Watch List
11/5/2025 1:51:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Preseason Watch List announced by USBWA
INDIANAPOLIS – Columbia women's basketball junior guard Riley Weiss is among 50 NCAA women's basketball players who make up the preseason watch list for the 2025-26 Ann Meyers Drysdale Award. The board of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association creates the award.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
A two-time Ivy League champion, Weiss is coming off a sophomore season in which she averaged 17.8 points and shot 37.6 percent (96-255) from three-point range. She ranked No. 6 in Columbia single-season history for points scored (553) and No. 7 in points per game.
A native of nearby Hewlett, New York, Weiss was a three-time Ivy League Player of the Week who would go on to be named First Team All-Ivy League and First Team All-Met. She was also named to the USBWA National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List, twice named a USBWA National Player of the Week honoree, and twice named an AP National Player of the Week Honorable Mention. Her 2024-25 highlights included a career-high 34-point performance in a win at Princeton, as well as a game-high 24 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to help Columbia erase a 13-point halftime deficit and defeat Washington in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, 63-60.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2026 Women's Final Four in Phoenix, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
ABOUT THE USBWA
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
The Ann Meyers Drysdale Award is presented annually to the women's national player of the year by the USBWA. Named for the legendary UCLA guard, the award was first presented in the 1987-88 season and formally named in Meyers Drysdale's honor in the 2011-12 season. Ann Meyers Drysdale played at UCLA from 1974-78, which pre-dates the USBWA All-America selections. She was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1999.
A two-time Ivy League champion, Weiss is coming off a sophomore season in which she averaged 17.8 points and shot 37.6 percent (96-255) from three-point range. She ranked No. 6 in Columbia single-season history for points scored (553) and No. 7 in points per game.
A native of nearby Hewlett, New York, Weiss was a three-time Ivy League Player of the Week who would go on to be named First Team All-Ivy League and First Team All-Met. She was also named to the USBWA National Player of the Year Midseason Watch List, twice named a USBWA National Player of the Week honoree, and twice named an AP National Player of the Week Honorable Mention. Her 2024-25 highlights included a career-high 34-point performance in a win at Princeton, as well as a game-high 24 points, including 14 in the fourth quarter, to help Columbia erase a 13-point halftime deficit and defeat Washington in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, 63-60.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership. The winner of the award will be announced at the 2026 Women's Final Four in Phoenix, with the formal presentation to follow at the annual USBWA Awards Luncheon hosted by the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.
ABOUT THE USBWA
The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 800 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected an All-America team since the 1956-57 season. For more information on the USBWA and the Oscar Robertson Trophy, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.
FOLLOW THE LIONS:
For the latest on Columbia women's basketball, follow @CULionsWBB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's BasketballPostgame: WBK | Coach Griffith, Riley Weiss, and Susie Rafiu after Richmond
Saturday, November 15
Highlights: WBK | Columbia 67, Richmond 77
Saturday, November 15
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Postgame: WBK | Page on Victory at Ohio
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