Bree Stephens, a senior with the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears, has been named the ASUN Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and selected as one of the league’s top ten players for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The ASUN Conference announced its preseason honors, which include ten players on the preseason team and two individual superlatives.
Head coach Tony Kemper expressed his support for Stephens, stating, “We are so fortunate to have Bree back for this season. She is such a major contributor on both ends of the floor and a steady presence everyday in our locker room. I believe she is worthy of both the Preseason DPOY and the all-conference selection. She has worked hard this offseason to get better and she will be looked upon to deliver on both ends of the floor.”
Stephens, now entering her third season with Central Arkansas, led the ASUN Conference last year in blocks per game (2.39) and total blocks (79), placing her tenth nationally in both categories. She recorded a block in 28 games, multiple blocks in 21 games, and five or more blocks in seven games, with a season-high of seven blocks. Her defensive impact extended beyond shot-blocking, as she also tallied 40 steals and a combined 119 steals and blocks, the highest total in the conference last season. Stephens ranked seventh in the ASUN in defensive rebounds, averaging five per game and collecting 166 over 33 games.
Offensively, Stephens contributed as a passer, tying for eighth in the conference with 83 assists, making her one of only 11 ASUN players to reach at least 80 assists last season and leading her team in that category.
The Sugar Bears as a team were ranked second in both the Coaches Poll and the Media Poll ahead of the new season. Central Arkansas is coming off consecutive appearances in the ASUN Championship Final and two straight seasons with more than 20 wins. The roster features nine new players, with only three returning who played at least 300 minutes last season.
Coach Kemper commented on the preseason rankings: “It says a lot about the growth of our program at Central Arkansas, that we have been picked this high going into the season. This is a group that has many new faces, but shares these high expectations with the league. We are focused on pushing this program to the next level, and I believe this is a group that has the talent to have a really good year.”
The Sugar Bears will open their season on November 3rd, playing at the University of Missouri against the SEC Tigers in Columbia, Missouri.
