AUS Women’s Basketball Mid-season Awards
Amanda Cruickshank driving to the basket in the AUS Season Opener against the SMU Huskies on October 24th, 2025 in Halifax, NS. (Photos by Eduardo Ibarra)
This year’s women’s AUS basketball season has been nothing short of thrilling. From UNB’s electric 10-1 start to the season to a variety of nail-biting games consistently coming down to the wire across the league, there is so much to be excited about when AUS action returns this Friday, January 9th. Over this break from the action, though, we’ve been thinking about who would win AUS individual accolades if the season were to end today. Who would take home the league MVP? Rookie of the year? Find out the winners of our Mid-Season awards below!
MVP: Grace Lancaster - UPEI Panthers
Grace Lancaster has been the beating heart of an exciting UPEI Panthers team this season, who currently sit in 2nd place in the AUS standings. Lancaster has driven UPEI’s offence with consistent scoring, smart decision-making, and veteran leadership. Lancaster’s presence changes how opponents defend UPEI: she’s the go-to scorer for this team, averaging over 16 points per game and forcing extra attention from opposing defences. Lancaster’s top performances this season include an extremely efficient 27-point performance in a win against the SMU Huskies and a 23-point outing in a narrow 4-point victory over the 3rd place STFX X-women. So far in 2025, Lancaster has stood out as the stabilizing component to a Panthers squad that has responded brilliantly to losing their first two games of the season to the top-seeded UNB Reds, going on to win eight of their next nine games to close out 2025.
Honorable Mentions: Katie Butts (UNB), Samantha Russell (Acadia)
COTY: Erin McAleenan - UNB REDS
UNB has set the league’s standard for excellence so far in 2025 through clear preparation, defensive discipline, and depth off the bench, and McAleenan deserves much of the credit. The REDS have handled high-pressure games and consistently looked like the most organized team in the league by a wide margin. Mid-season Coach of the Year speaks to McAleenan’s ability to have the most ready, well-organized, and mentally disciplined team every night, and right now, with a 10-1 record at the top of the AUS table, there is no question that’s UNB. Next month, McAleenan and her Reds will aim to capture the program's first AUS banner since 1999 at Scotiabank Centre.
Honorable Mentions: Matt Gamblin (UPEI), Matt Spencer (StFX)
DPOTY: Shannon Neita - STFX X-Women
If Defensive Player of the Year is about impact, versatility, and statistical dominance, Shannon Neitafor checks every box. She currently leads the AUS in steals and ranks second in blocks, an extremely rare combination that speaks to both perimeter pressure and interior presence on the defensive side of the ball. Neitafor disrupts passing lanes, strips ball-handlers, and consistently turns defense into transition offense for an X team who have certainly turned some heads with their success, sitting in 3rd place with a 7-3 record. StFX relies on pace and aggression to shift momentum in their favour, and Neita is the defensive catalyst to this formula. She guards multiple positions and changes games without needing the ball. At mid-season, no player has influenced the defensive side of the floor more than her.
Honorable Mentions: Samantha Russell (Acadia), Ingrid Khuong (UPEI)
ROTY: Ava MacNutt - STFX X-Women
MacNutt has looked AUS-ready almost immediately so far this season. She has taken on real minutes, real responsibility, and production for an excellent StFX team. She’s started 4 games already this season, and is putting up 8.4 points per game while contributing as a defensive ball-hawk (2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game). In a league where rookies often need time, she’s been a key piece to this STFX team so far this season.
Honorable Mentions: Ingrid Khuong (UPEI), Cairo Henning (Dalhousie)
6th Woman of the Year: Ann Bastian - UNB REDS
UNB has been able to hit teams in waves so far this season, and Bastien has delivered multiple punchy off-the-bench performances for the best team in the AUS so far this year. Her success included an 18-point performance off the bench in a 94–43 blowout of Memorial, and she hopes to continue making positive impacts for a team with serious title aspirations.
