De Ridder, Louisell and two rising teams headline Tuesday’s honors

Tuesday’s college announcements brought recognition in different forms across the region: a preseason basketball distinction at Virginia, an award for a completed academic year at James Madison, and current national rankings for Maryland field hockey and Liberty women’s soccer. The four honors carry different contexts, but each puts a local program or athlete in a prominent position.

Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder was selected as the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year, collecting 30 of the 48 votes. The Cavaliers were picked second in the conference poll behind Duke, and point guard Chance Mallory earned a place on the preseason All-ACC second team. De Ridder also received all 48 votes for the first team.

The recognition follows a season in which De Ridder led Virginia with 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game and earned first-team All-ACC honors. He joins Malcolm Brogdon as the only Cavaliers to receive preseason ACC Player of the Year recognition; Brogdon shared that distinction before the 2015–16 season. Virginia finished second in the ACC last season with a 15–3 conference record after being picked fifth. The new poll raises expectations before the Cavaliers open against Drexel on November 3.

At James Madison, Kennedy Louisell was named the Sun Belt’s 2025–26 Female Student-Athlete of the Year at Tuesday’s annual honors banquet. The award recognizes the previous academic year, including the outside hitter’s 2025 volleyball season. She follows women’s basketball player Peyton McDaniel as the second JMU recipient.

Louisell recorded 605 kills and 676 points in 2025, ranking fourth nationally in both totals. Her 4.80 kills per set and total kills set JMU Division I-era records. The season also brought Sun Belt Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. Academic recognition included the conference’s 2025–26 Academic Honor Roll. Her next matches arrive Thursday and Friday, when the Dukes host App State at 6 p.m. on both evenings.

Maryland field hockey moved to No. 1 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, returning to the top position for the first time since 2013. The Terrapins are 12–0, their first start at that mark since 2018 and the sixth in program history. Maryland’s unbeaten run includes victories over Michigan, Princeton, Duke and Wake Forest. The next tests are at home: Michigan State on Friday and Ohio State on Sunday.

Liberty women’s soccer earned No. 23 in the United Soccer Coaches/IWSOC Weekly Coaches Poll, the highest national ranking in program history. Its previous appearance was at No. 24 in 2024. The Lady Flames stand at 11–2–1 overall and 4–0–0 in Conference USA, carrying a nine-match winning streak into Saturday’s trip to Kennesaw State.

Liberty’s defense has provided a strong foundation, conceding 10 goals across the season and just one in four conference matches. The team has eight shutouts, while Halle Engle leads the attack with six goals. Saturday’s match is scheduled for 6 p.m. Eastern at Fifth Third Stadium, with ESPN+ coverage. The new ranking recognizes the current run; the next match provides the opportunity to extend it.