NEW ORLEANS - Old Dominion women’s basketball’s En’Dya Buford has been named to the Sun Belt Preseason First Team and Simone Cunningham has been named to the Sun Belt Preseason Third Team, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
Buford averaged a team high 13.1 points per game last season and earned All-Sun Belt Second Team with 14.7 points per game in conference play. She started all 34 games and snagged 5.9 rebounds per contest. On the defensive end and one of the most important pieces of the full-court press, she ranked 30th in the NCAA with 82 steals (2.41 per game).
The native of Memphis, Tenn. earned All-Sun Belt Third team in her first season at ODU and started every game she played in. Buford scored 10+ points in 18 games and led the team with 12.4 points per game and 40 made threes.
Cunningham, a native of Pleasant Grove, Ala. started 24 of the 34 games ODU played last season and led the team with eight boards per contest. She scored a season high 21 points against Sun Belt Conference foe Coastal Carolina with 61.5% shooting from the field.
This is the first Sun Belt Preseason honor that Cunningham has received. She ranked sixth in total rebounding (8.00 per game), had the third most double doubles in the conference (10), had the fourth most 10+ rebound games (13), and she led the conference with an average of 4.41 offensive rebounds per game.
Old Dominion was picked to finish fourth in the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll.
Preseason Player of the Year:
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
En’Dya Buford, Old Dominion [Gr. | G | Memphis, Tenn.]
Zay Dyer, Troy [Sr. | F | Atlanta, Ga.]
Jakayla Johnson, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Clinton, Miss]
Peyton McDaniel, James Madison [R-Sr. | G | Birdsboro, Pa.]
Crislyn Rose, Arkansas State [Jr. | G | Sachse, Texas]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Ashanti Barnes, James Madison [Gr. | F | Norfolk, Va.]
Crystal Henderson, Georgia State [Jr. | G | Marietta, Ga.]
Rachel Leggett, Troy [Sr. | G | Navarre, Fla.]
Zyion Shannon, Arkansas State [Sr. | G | Smyrna, Tenn.]
Kristin Williams, Coastal Carolina [Gr. | G | San Diego, Calif.]
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Ashley Baez, Troy [Sr. | G | Dominican Republic]
Simone Cunningham, Old Dominion [Sr. | G | Pleasant Grove, Ala.]
Meredith Maier, Marshall [Sr. | F | Fairmont, W.Va.]
Elena Pericic, App State [Sr. | F | Rijeka, Croatia]
Meloney Thames, Southern Miss [Gr. | G | Philadelphia, Miss.]
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. James Madison (9) – 189
2. Arkansas State (3) – 174
3. Troy (1) – 171
4. Old Dominion (1) – 151
5. Southern Miss – 125
6. Coastal Carolina – 104
7. Georgia State – 102
8. Marshall – 100
9. App State – 94
10. Georgia Southern – 73
11. Louisiana – 67
12. Texas State – 55
13. ULM – 36
14. South Alabama – 29