Hall Honored as Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year
10/6/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Defending champion TCU picked second in preseason coaches’ poll
FORT WORTH – On the heels of back-to-back undisputed Big 12 regular season championships, TCU featured prominently in the release of the conference's annual preseason awards.
Jessie-May Hall was named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year while TCU was picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Clara Silva additionally was one of 10 players tabbed to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
Preseason awards were determined via a vote of the conference's head coach coaches, who could not select their own team or players.
Hall, a 5-8 guard from Sydney, Australia, is the first Horned Frog to be cited as Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year since TCU joined the league in 2011.
Silva's Preseason All-Big 12 Team nod places her alongside the program's all-time greats. The junior center is the sixth TCU player to receive the recognition, joining the likes of Hailey Van Lith, Olivia Miles and Zahna Medley in exclusive company.
As a team, TCU's No. 2 placement in the preseason coaches' poll is the program's second-highest projected finish. The Horned Frogs were selected as the preseason champion in both the 2025-26 media and coaches' polls.
TCU received six of a possible 16 first place votes and 212 total points. Oklahoma State edged the Horned Frogs for the top spot in the poll by the slimmest of margins, garnering seven first place votes and 215 points.
Baylor (199 points) picked up two first place votes. The final first place vote went to West Virginia (186 points). Kansas (160 points) rounded out the top-five.
TCU is aiming to become the third program in league history to win three straight Big 12 regular
season titles. Baylor (2015-22) and Oklahoma (2000-02) are the only current or former conference affiliates to achieve the feat.
Should the Horned Frogs again cut down the nets, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has paid close attention TCU and head coach Mark Campbell over the last three years. TCU enters the 2026-27 season alongside South Carolina as one of two teams at the Power Conference level that has posted consecutive 30-win campaigns and won a regular season conference title.
In addition to TCU's recent championship pedigree, Campbell's teams have a proven track record of exceeding external expectations. Campbell completed his fifth season as a head coach in 2025-26. All five of his teams have either met or outperformed their projected conference finishes. TCU was picked fourth in the 2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' poll and went on to sweep the regular season and tournament championships.
An explosive, shifty combo guard with elite defensive anticipation, Hall's arrival elevates TCU on both ends. She played three years for the Hornsby Spiders of the NBL1, the top semi-professional league in Australia, prior to joining the Horned Frogs. Hall averaged 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game in 2026, leading the squad in all four categories. She put an average of 22 points per night on the board in 2025 and ranked second among all players in the NBL1 in steals per game, swiping the ball away 4.7 times per night.
The 6-7 Silva is the Horned Frogs' lone returning starter. She got the nod in all 38 games on a veteran-laden 2025-26 Horned Frogs squad that finished with a 32-6 overall record and reached the Elite Eight.
Silva was one of just six players nationwide last season to average at least nine points seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting better than 55 percent from the field. She is the leading returning shot blocker in the Big 12, having ranked second among her conference peers in total blocks (67) and blocks per game (1.8) in 2025-26. On a team featuring nine new faces, Silva figures to see an elevated roll within the Frogs' spread pick-n-roll offense. Her production saw a noticeable uptick last season as the schedule shifted to league play. Silva scored in double figures in 13 of her last 28 outings and averaged 10 points per game during the NCAA Tournament.
TCU kicks off the 2026-27 campaign with seven straight home games, starting with its season-opener on Nov. 3 vs. Oral Roberts. Conference play also commences inside Schollmaier Arena, as the Horned Frogs host Cincinnati on Dec. 20 in their first of 18 Big 12 bouts.
Season tickets are available now with prices starting at just $155. Fans can order now by calling the TCU Ticket Office at 817-257-1849 or online on GoFrogs.com. Group sales and single-game general admission tickets will be made available soon.
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Audi Crooks, Oklahoma State
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Liv McGill, Oklahoma State
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jessie-May Hall, TCU
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Team
McKinna Brackens, Arizona State
Taliah Scott, Baylor*
Delaney Gibb, BYU*
Zyanna Walker, Colorado
Jaliya Davis, Kansas
S'Mya Nichols, Kansas*
Audi Crooks, Oklahoma State*
Liv McGill, Oklahoma State
Clara Silva, TCU
Gia Cooke, West Virginia
Players are sorted alphabetically by school
*Indicates unanimous selection
Jessie-May Hall was named Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year while TCU was picked second in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Clara Silva additionally was one of 10 players tabbed to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
Preseason awards were determined via a vote of the conference's head coach coaches, who could not select their own team or players.
Hall, a 5-8 guard from Sydney, Australia, is the first Horned Frog to be cited as Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year since TCU joined the league in 2011.
Silva's Preseason All-Big 12 Team nod places her alongside the program's all-time greats. The junior center is the sixth TCU player to receive the recognition, joining the likes of Hailey Van Lith, Olivia Miles and Zahna Medley in exclusive company.
As a team, TCU's No. 2 placement in the preseason coaches' poll is the program's second-highest projected finish. The Horned Frogs were selected as the preseason champion in both the 2025-26 media and coaches' polls.
TCU received six of a possible 16 first place votes and 212 total points. Oklahoma State edged the Horned Frogs for the top spot in the poll by the slimmest of margins, garnering seven first place votes and 215 points.
Baylor (199 points) picked up two first place votes. The final first place vote went to West Virginia (186 points). Kansas (160 points) rounded out the top-five.
TCU is aiming to become the third program in league history to win three straight Big 12 regular
season titles. Baylor (2015-22) and Oklahoma (2000-02) are the only current or former conference affiliates to achieve the feat.
Should the Horned Frogs again cut down the nets, it will come as no surprise to anyone who has paid close attention TCU and head coach Mark Campbell over the last three years. TCU enters the 2026-27 season alongside South Carolina as one of two teams at the Power Conference level that has posted consecutive 30-win campaigns and won a regular season conference title.
In addition to TCU's recent championship pedigree, Campbell's teams have a proven track record of exceeding external expectations. Campbell completed his fifth season as a head coach in 2025-26. All five of his teams have either met or outperformed their projected conference finishes. TCU was picked fourth in the 2024-25 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' poll and went on to sweep the regular season and tournament championships.
An explosive, shifty combo guard with elite defensive anticipation, Hall's arrival elevates TCU on both ends. She played three years for the Hornsby Spiders of the NBL1, the top semi-professional league in Australia, prior to joining the Horned Frogs. Hall averaged 19.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 3.9 steals per game in 2026, leading the squad in all four categories. She put an average of 22 points per night on the board in 2025 and ranked second among all players in the NBL1 in steals per game, swiping the ball away 4.7 times per night.
The 6-7 Silva is the Horned Frogs' lone returning starter. She got the nod in all 38 games on a veteran-laden 2025-26 Horned Frogs squad that finished with a 32-6 overall record and reached the Elite Eight.
Silva was one of just six players nationwide last season to average at least nine points seven rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting better than 55 percent from the field. She is the leading returning shot blocker in the Big 12, having ranked second among her conference peers in total blocks (67) and blocks per game (1.8) in 2025-26. On a team featuring nine new faces, Silva figures to see an elevated roll within the Frogs' spread pick-n-roll offense. Her production saw a noticeable uptick last season as the schedule shifted to league play. Silva scored in double figures in 13 of her last 28 outings and averaged 10 points per game during the NCAA Tournament.
TCU kicks off the 2026-27 campaign with seven straight home games, starting with its season-opener on Nov. 3 vs. Oral Roberts. Conference play also commences inside Schollmaier Arena, as the Horned Frogs host Cincinnati on Dec. 20 in their first of 18 Big 12 bouts.
Season tickets are available now with prices starting at just $155. Fans can order now by calling the TCU Ticket Office at 817-257-1849 or online on GoFrogs.com. Group sales and single-game general admission tickets will be made available soon.
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
- Oklahoma State (7) – 215 points
- TCU (6) – 212 points
- Baylor (2) – 199 points
- West Virginia (1) – 186 points
- Kansas – 160 points
- Arizona State – 143 points
- BYU – 137 points
- Colorado – 126 points
- K-State – 121 points
- Texas Tech – 103 points
- Iowa State – 78 points
- Utah – 77 points
- Arizona – 55 points
- Cincinnati – 43 points
- Houston – 38 points
- UCF – 27 points
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Player of the Year
Audi Crooks, Oklahoma State
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Liv McGill, Oklahoma State
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jessie-May Hall, TCU
2026-27 Big 12 Women's Basketball Preseason Team
McKinna Brackens, Arizona State
Taliah Scott, Baylor*
Delaney Gibb, BYU*
Zyanna Walker, Colorado
Jaliya Davis, Kansas
S'Mya Nichols, Kansas*
Audi Crooks, Oklahoma State*
Liv McGill, Oklahoma State
Clara Silva, TCU
Gia Cooke, West Virginia
Players are sorted alphabetically by school
*Indicates unanimous selection
Players Mentioned
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