BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA — The Peach Belt Conference released its annual preseason women's basketball poll and preseason All-Conference team ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Sand Sharks were selected fourth by the conference coaches, while two players, Taniyah Bowman and Janiyah Heyward, were named to the preseason All-Conference team.
Bowman is coming off a strong season in which she averaged 15.0 points per game and earned First Team All-Conference honors, along with the Elite 18 Award. She started 25 of 27 games played, led the team in assists, ranked second in scoring, and finished sixth in the PBC in points per game.
Heyward is also coming off an All-Conference season, earning a spot on the Third Team. She finished the year averaging 13.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. Her 199 total rebounds led the team.
Augusta was picked first by the conference coaches with 95 points, earning seven first-place votes. North Georgia came in second with 86 points and one first-place vote. Columbus State rounded out the top three with two first-place votes and 83 points.
USCB was selected fourth with 81 points and the remaining first-place vote. Middle Georgia was fifth with 65 points, followed by Georgia College & State University with 42 points. Clayton State ranked seventh with 36 points, followed closely by Flagler with 35 points.
The final three teams were Georgia Southwestern with 31 points, followed by Lander with 29 points and USC Aiken with 22 points.
The full preseason All-Conference team includes:
-
Quinasia Abercrombie, Augusta
-
Mauryah Jones, Middle Georgia
-
Averie Jones, North Georgia
-
Zaynah Preston, North Georgia
-
Taniyah Bowman, USCB
-
Janiyah Heyward, USCB
Stay tuned to uscbathletics.com and follow Sand Shark Athletics on social media for the latest news, updates, and information.
