ORLANDO, Fla. – The Sunshine State Conference recognizes nineteen women's basketball student-athletes as All-SSC in 2025-26. Florida Southern’s Sydney Gomes earned Player of the Year, Nova Southeastern Taydra Simpson was named Defensive Player of the Year, Embry-Riddle’s Eliana Sheplee takes Freshman of the Year honors, and Eckerd head coach Paul Honsinger was awarded Coach of the Year.
SSC Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year awards are sponsored by Athletic Solutions.
Gomes, a 5-8 guard from Florida Southern College, was named Player of the Year in SSC by the league’s head coaches. The Ponte Vedra, Florida product averaging 18.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists in 35.8 minutes per game. She was second in the league in points, rebounds, and assists per game. Gomes shot 45 percent from the field, including 34 percent from 3-point range. She is the ninth student-athlete from Florida Southern to earn SSC Player of the Year. She helped lead the Mocs to a 22-6 overall record with a 15-5 mark in conference.
All-SSC History: SSC Players and Coaches of the Year | All-SSC Teams
Taydra Simpson, a 5-8 guard from Nova Southeastern, is awarded SSC Defensive Player of the Year. She averaged 3.1 blocks per game and 1.2 steals per game, finishing third in the conference in each metric. She played in 27 games for the Sharks, including nine starts. She recorded a pair of 10-steal games in conference play. Simpson is the fourth Shark to earn SSC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Eliana Sheplee, a 5-10 guard from Embry-Riddle, becomes the third Eagles women’s basketball player to earn SSC Freshman of the Year. The Rice Lake, Wisconsin native led the SSC in scoring, pouring in 21.5 points per game. She shot over 50 percent from the field while grabbing 7.1 rebounds per game. She tallied a season-high 35 points in a nonconference matchup against Flagler on Nov. 19.
Paul Honsinger from Eckerd earns SSC Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He led the Tritons to a regular season championship with a 22-5 overall record and a 17-3 mark in league play. This is the second SSC regular season title of his career. The Tritons led the league in points allowed, giving up just 55.8 points per game. Opponents shot just 36 percent against Eckerd, and the Tritons punctuated stops with a league-leading 28.8 defensive rebounds per game.
All-conference selections and individual award winners are determined by a vote of Sunshine State Conference head coaches with oversight and approval from member institution Athletic Directors.
| Player of the Year: Sydney Gomes, Florida Southern |
| Defensive Player of the Year: Taydra Simpson, Nova Southeastern |
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Freshman of the Year: Eliana Sheplee, Embry-Riddle
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| Coach of the Year: Paul Honsinger, Eckerd |
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2025-26 Women's Basketball All-SSC First Team
|
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Yr.
|
Hometown
|
|
G
|
Sydney Gomes*
|
Florida Southern
|
Sr.
|
Ponte Vedra, Florida
|
|
G
|
Eliana Sheplee
|
Embry-Riddle
|
R-Fr.
|
Rice Lake, Wisconsin
|
|
G
|
Ieva Korzane
|
Eckerd
|
Sr.
|
Jurmala, Valteri, Latvia
|
|
G
|
Emma Egan
|
Eckerd
|
Sr.
|
Mount Washington, Kentucky
|
|
C
|
Ryan Franklin
|
Tampa
|
Jr.
|
Edmond, Oklahoma
|
|
2025-26 Women's Basketball All-SSC Second Team
|
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Yr.
|
Hometown
|
|
G
|
Kaliyah Morales^
|
Nova Southeastern
|
So.
|
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
|
|
G
|
Bridie McCann
|
Nova Southeastern
|
Jr.
|
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
|
|
G
|
Trinity Mocadlo
|
Lynn
|
Jr.
|
Greenville, Wisconsin
|
|
G
|
Anabel Ellison~
|
Palm Beach Atlantic
|
Gr.
|
Clearwater, Florida
|
|
F
|
Alanis Diaz*
|
Tampa
|
Gr.
|
The Bronx, New York
|
|
2025-26 Women's Basketball All-SSC Third Team
|
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Yr.
|
Hometown
|
|
C
|
Laurie Satchell^
|
Embry-Riddle
|
Sr.
|
Elkridge, Maryland
|
|
G
|
Carlota Gomez-Alonso
|
Florida Southern
|
Sr.
|
Madrid, Spain
|
|
G
|
Kailey Turpening
|
Embry-Riddle
|
Sr.
|
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
|
|
G
|
Giorgia Palmieri
|
Tampa
|
So.
|
Bologna, Italy
|
|
G
|
Jaylen Ostenson
|
Eckerd
|
Jr.
|
Newcastle, Wyoming
|
|
2025-26 Women's Basketball All-SSC Defensive Team
|
|
Pos.
|
Name
|
School
|
Yr.
|
Hometown
|
|
G
|
Taydra Simpson
|
Nova Southeastern
|
Sr.
|
Coram, New York
|
|
G
|
Markayla Holland
|
Nova Southeastern
|
Jr.
|
Waterford, Michigan
|
|
C
|
Lisa Michaelsen
|
Eckerd
|
Sr.
|
Holbaek, Denmark
|
|
G
|
Eliana Sheplee
|
Embry-Riddle
|
R-Fr.
|
Rice Lake, Wisconsin
|
|
G
|
Sydney Gomes*
|
Florida Southern
|
Sr.
|
Ponte Vedra, Florida
|
* = 2024-25 All-SSC Second Team
^ = 2024-25 All-SSC Third Team
~ = 2024-25 All-SSC Defensive Team